CORONAVIRUS: Latest daily LIVE updates

21st March updates continued ... (Part 2)

New prime minister appointed in a face mask

OK, they aren't quite two metres away from each other but you can't say they aren't being cautious.
This is a picture of Slovakia's new prime minister, Igor Matovic, shaking hands with the country's president, Zuzana Caputova, at the inauguration of his cabinet.
Matovic, an anti-corruption activist with the reputation of being a maverick, won a surprise victory in February's elections, the first since the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak two years ago which shook Slovakia.
He and his cabinet colleagues all wore face masks and white gloves for the ceremony at the presidential palace in Bratislava, our correspondent Rob Cameron has written in to tell us.
Slovakia has so far registered 137 cases of Coronavirus and no deaths.

US stimulus plan to top $2 trillion

The US coronavirus economic stabilisation bill will be worth over $2 trillion (£1.7 tn), White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow says.
"The package is coming in at about 10% of GDP. It’s a very large package," Mr Kudlow said about the stimulus bill, which is still being worked out by Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
That’s twice the sum that the White House requested days ago.
US lawmakers have been frantically negotiating an agreement to be voted on as early as Monday. A sticking point appears to be over how to distribute funds directly to Americans and how to bolster social safety net programmes such as unemployment assistance.
The White House coronavirus taskforce is due to brief the media in the coming hour.

NHS England to get extra 8,000 hospital beds

The National Health Service (NHS) England has said it struck a major deal with independent hospitals to boost the organisation's capacities in tackling the coronavirus outbreak.
"Nearly 20,000 fully qualified staff will be joining the NHS response to the pandemic, helping manage the expected surge in cases," it said in a statement.
"The extra resources now secured by the health service will not only be available to treat coronavirus patients, but will also help the NHS deliver other urgent operations and cancer treatments.
"The deal - the first of its kind ever - includes the provision of 8,000 hospital beds across England, nearly 1,200 more ventilators, more than 10,000 nurses, over 700 doctors and over 8,000 other clinical staff."
It said that in London, the deal includes over 2,000 hospital beds, and over 250 operating theatres and critical beds.
Reacting to the announcement, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "This is great news for the hospitals and staff doing everything they can to combat coronavirus."

The latest from Europe

Here's an update from some European countries:

• The number of confirmed cases in the Netherlands has risen by 637 to a total of 3,631, health officials say, while the death toll has risen by 30 to 136
  
• Bosnia has recorded its first coronavirus death - the manager of a hospital in the northwestern town of Bihac, according to Reuters news agency
  
• In Switzerland, health authorities say 6,100 infections have been confirmed - a 25% increase on the previous day - with 56 deaths
  
• Portugal says the death toll has doubled overnight to 12, with 1,280 infected
  

France chides 'irresponsible' citizens

France's health minister echoed recent remarks by the head of the World Health Organization and New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo about people who flout directives on social distancing.
"In these circumstances," Olivier Véran told a news conference, "a casual attitude is unfortunately not just irresponsible. It is dangerous - for oneself and for other people."

Almost 800 more dead in Italy

Deaths continue to spiral in Italy. Official figures show 793 have died of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours - another daily record.
In total 4,825 people have now died across the country.
More than 53,500 have been diagnosed with the virus nationally, up more than 6,500 since yesterday.

NHS confirms 53 more deaths in England

Another 53 people with coronavirus have died in England, bringing the total of deaths in the country to 220.
The patients who died in England were aged between 41 and 94 years old and all had underlying health conditions.
Earlier, two more deaths were recorded in Wales, bringing its total to five, and another death in Scotland, taking the number to seven
Northern Ireland has recorded one death.

US vice-president to be tested

US Vice-President Mike Pence, who heads the White House coronavirus taskforce, says he and his wife will take coronavirus tests later on Saturday after it was discovered that a member of this team tested positive.
Mr Pence said the man, who he did not name, is doing well and has not been to the White House since Monday.

Singapore deaths - big blow for country with sophisticated operation

The confirmation that Singapore has had its first two deaths is a huge blow to this country. Singapore prides itself on its excellent healthcare system - 131 of its 385 cases have been discharged already.
But it ultimately wasn’t enough to save the lives of these two - a 75-year-old Singaporean woman and a 64-year-old Indonesian man, both with underlying health conditions.
The first diagnosed case in Singapore was on 23 January, but a sophisticated operation kicked into gear to test any suspected cases quickly then forensically trace their last seven days of movements to identify anyone they had come into close contact with.
Those people were then ordered to stay at home for 14 days - and if they fell ill, the cycle started again. That has really helped keep the numbers down, and provided a lot of public reassurance.
But domestically transmitted cases have in recent days started to be surpassed by cases brought in by people returning home from abroad.
It’s getting harder to keep up the contact tracing. We’ve all been asked to download an app which helps keep track of our as yet relatively unrestricted movements around the island.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned today that cases would keep coming and more people will need intensive medical care.
"We must brace ourselves for more losses," he said in a statement on Facebook.

France reports 112 more deaths

France has reported 112 more deaths from coronavirus, bringing the country's death toll to 562, according to the health ministry.

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Nigeria to halt all international flights

Nigeria has confirmed 10 new coronavirus cases - three in the capital Abuja and seven in Lagos.
So far there are now a total of 22 confirmed cases in the country.
Nine out of the 10 new cases have travel history outside Nigeria in the last week, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control
One case is said to be a close contact of a confirmed case.
Authorities said they were engaged in aggressive contact tracing and containment strategies to curtail further spread.
Meanwhile, the government says it is closing its airspace to all international flights from Monday. The use of passenger trains shall also to be suspended on that day.
On the brighter side however, Lagos state governor announced that the Italian man who was the first registered case back on 28 February was discharged from hospital on Friday.

UK confirmed cases climb over 5,000

There are now 5,018 confirmed cases of Covid-19 - the disease caused by coronavirus - across the UK, according to an update by the Department of Health.
Officials say almost 73,000 people have been tested so far.
The figures, based on data up until 09:00 on Saturday, shows a rise of more than 1,000 cases in the last 24 hours.
In total 233 people with coronavirus have died across the UK. There have been 56 new deaths, including 53 in England, recorded since Friday.

Bolivia orders people to stay at home for two weeks

Bolivia has ordered people to stay at home for the next 14 days, the latest South American country to impose strict restrictions on movement in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus.
"It's a tough but necessary decision for the good of everyone," said interim President Jeanine Anez. "We must be at home for 24 hours a day."
So far, Bolivia has confirmed 19 coronavirus cases.
Colombia and Argentina have also imposed similar restrictions.

Deaths in Italy rising steeply

As we mentioned earlier, Italy has reported another big increase in the number of deaths of people with coronavirus - 793 in the last 24 hours.
It's by far the worst single-day total worldwide since the pandemic began. In total 4,825 people have now died across the country.
On average, one coronavirus patient is dying in Italy every two minutes.
More than 53,500 people have been diagnosed with the virus nationally, up more than 6,500 since Friday. And that's despite strict measures in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.
Here's a visual guide to the pandemic around the world.

Why are Australia's remote Aboriginal communities at risk?

For over a week, some of Australia's remote Aboriginal communities have been severely restricting visitors - to try to keep out the Covid-19 virus.
Now the government is using its Biosecurity Act to bring in these limitations to such places across the country.
Only medical and health staff will be allowed in, as well as police and educational services.
About 120,000 people live in remote communities. So far, no cases have been confirmed in those areas.

Warning over 'reckless' Scottish travel

Scotland's Rural Economy and Tourism Secretary Fergus Ewing has said he is "furious" at the "reckless and irresponsible behaviour" of people travelling to the Scottish Highlands and Islands during the coronavirus pandemic.
His comments come after reports of people in campervans trying to find solace from outbreaks elsewhere across the UK.
"This has to stop now. Let me be crystal clear, people should not be travelling to rural and island communities full stop," Mr Ewing said in a statement. "They are endangering lives. Do not travel.
“Panic buying will have a devastating impact on the livelihoods of rural shops and potentially puts unwanted pressure on NHS services in our rural communities."

The worst is yet to come, warns Spain's PM

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said that, "sadly", the numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths will rise in the country, warning that "the worst is yet to come" and that "very difficult days lay ahead".
In a news conference on Saturday night, he said the risk was "everywhere", urging people to stay indoors. He called the country's measures to curb the virus one of the strictest in Europe.
Mr Sánchez also praised the response of his compatriots to the crisis, one week into the state of emergency.
Spain has recorded 24,926 cases with 1,326 deaths.

North Korea says Trump offered help to fight virus in letter

US President Donald Trump has sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, offering co-operation in tackling the coronavirus outbreak, North Korea's state media report.
Mr Trump "explained his plan to propel the relations between the two countries... and expressed his intent to render co-operation in the anti-epidemic work," KCNA news agency quoted Mr Kim's younger sister Kim Yo-jong as saying.
The US president "was impressed by the efforts made by the chairman [Kim Jong-un] to defend his people from the serious threat of the epidemic", Ms Kim, who is an influential figure in Pyongyang, is also reported as saying.
KCNA did not say when the letter was received.
The White House has not commented on the issue.
The two leaders last met in June 2019, when Mr Trump became the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea.
However, negotiations over North Korea's controversial nuclear programme have since stalled.

Ex-Real Madrid boss dies

Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz died on Saturday after being hospitalised with coronavirus.
Sanz, 76, was president at the Bernabeu from 1995-2000, a period in which Real won the Champions League twice.
"My father has just died," wrote Sanz's son Lorenzo Sanz Duran on Twitter. "He did not deserve this end in this manner."
Read more here.

Italy's worst-hit region imposes harsher measures

Italy's northern Lombardy region has introduced even stricter measures than the rest of the country to try and stop the spread of coronavirus.
On Facebook, the regional president Attilio Fontana announced that sport and physical activity in the open air, even on your own, will be banned.
Other measures include banning the use of vending machines and suspending all open-air weekly markets.
Work on building sites will be stopped apart from those working on hospitals, roads and railways.
Of the 793 coronavirus deaths in Italy in the last 24 hours, 546 were in Lombardy.

UK PM in Mother's Day warning

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people not to visit loved ones on Mother's Day, which will be celebrated on Sunday.
He warned that the country's national health service could be "overwhelmed" if people did not act to slow the "accelerating" spread of coronavirus, .
The number of people who have died in the UK with coronavirus rose to 233 on Saturday, as cases topped 5,000.
It comes as NHS England plans to write to 1.5 million people most at risk.
Those at-risk people will receive letters or text messages strongly advising them not to go out for 12 weeks to protect themselves, the government said.
They include people who have received organ transplants, are living with severe respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis or specific cancers such as blood or bone marrow.

The day's main developments

Leaders around the world have urged people to follow their countries' measures amid reports some were not following advice to restrict their movements and stay at home.
In other developments:

• In Italy, the worst-hit European country, nearly 800 people died in the past day, bringing the total number of dead to 4,825
  
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the numbers in the UK were "very stark" and "accelerating", adding: "The Italian death toll is already in the thousands and climbing. Unless we act together... then it is all too likely that our own NHS will be similarly overwhelmed."
  
• In a message to the country on Saturday evening, Mr Johnson urged people not to visit loved ones on Mother's Day, which will be celebrated on Sunday. You can read more here
  
• Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has warned that "the worst is yet to come" as he urged people to stay indoors
  

Summary for 22nd March

   Cases pass 300,000 with more than 13,000 deaths around the world; 92,000 people have recovered
   Sport and physical activity outside are banned in Italy's worst hit region of Lombardy
   The move comes after Italy reported nearly 800 coronavirus deaths on Saturday
   Britons are warned the spread of the virus is "accelerating" and they must avoid social contact
   More than a billion people in India asked to observe a 14-hour long curfew to test the country's preparedness
   Australia's biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, are set to shut down non-essential services

A recap of the main points this Sunday.
Lombardy - the worst-hit region in the worst-hit country, Italy - is tightening the rules on what people can and cannot do. Sport and physical activity - even on your own - is forbidden. Even using vending machines is out. Italy suffered its highest daily rise in deaths on Saturday - 793.
Australia's two biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, along with Canberra, will shut down non-essential services in the next 48 hours as coronavirus cases rise rapidly in the country. Australia's Prime Minister says the sight of hundreds of people on Sydney's famous Bondi beach should be a "wake-up call" to take advice on social distancing seriously.
India has been observing a 14-hour long curfew to test the country's ability to fight the virus. One of the main suburban lines in Mumbai has been shut down.
The number of cases globally has passed 300,000 with more than 13,000 deaths.
Boris Johnson made a plea on Saturday night for UK citizens not to visit loved ones on Mother's Day. Join a "heroic and collective national effort", he said, to ensure social distancing.
Trails in Snowdonia National Park could be closed after the authorities complained of "unprecedented scenes" with crowds flouting official advice on social distancing.

Corbyn calls for UK to increase virus testing

Speaking on Sky News, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has urged the UK government to increase coronavirus testing, calling the current testing rate "far too low".
Mr Corbyn, who is stepping down from his role in two weeks, says the country has been made "vulnerable" to the effects of a pandemic by "10 years of austerity".
He also expresses concern for self-employed people in vulnerable groups, who are today being asked to stay at home for 12 weeks - he says this period will be “very, very difficult” for them.
He says he thinks the UK Parliament should stay in session so that MPs can hold ministers to account, but says party managers have agreed that the number of MPs in the chamber should be “greatly reduced”.

Millions stay at home in India curfew

Hundreds of millions of people in India have stayed indoors in response to the government's call for a lockdown to combat the transmission of coronavirus.
The 14-hour curfew saw cities across India deserted.
Domestic flights were halted and Indian railways have cancelled all passenger services till the end of the month, from Monday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the lockdown - not mandatory - would strengthen the fight against Covid-19. India has registered 341 cases, with five deaths.

What's the latest around Asia?

• Thailand's cases rose by a third to 600 sparking fears of an impending crisis. Most new cases are in the capital, Bangkok, which is now virtually shut down. Doctors are warning a lockdown might be needed
  
• Poorer neighbouring countries like Myanmar and Laos are still claiming to have zero cases - fueling worries about a hidden epidemic that could overwhelm their health systems
  
• Indonesia is turning an athlete's village built for the 2008 Asian Games into an emergency hospital that can hold more than 4,000 patients. The world's fourth most populous country has recorded more than 500 cases but many are believed to be going unrecorded
  
• South Asia - a region of 1.9bn people which includes countries like Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh - has reported fewer than 1,000 total cases but the rate of infection is increasing
  
• Singapore has banned all short-term visitors from entering or transiting after a spike in imported cases
  

'This won't be over in 12 weeks' - UK cabinet minister

UK Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick is asked about the PM Boris Johnson's comment earlier this week that the country can "turn the tide" on the virus within 12 weeks.
Asked what that means, Mr Jenrick repeats that the UK can "turn the tide" in this period, but adds: "Nobody is pretending this will be over in 12 weeks".
He says the UK has taken the right steps so far to tackle the virus, but adds: "If there are further steps we need to take, we will take then".

Australia to close pubs and restaurants

Australia is going to close pubs, clubs, cinemas, casinos, nightclubs and places of worship from Monday, with cafes and restaurants having to switch to takeaway only.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the measures after a national cabinet meeting.
Home delivery services will continue running and supermarkets will remain open.
Schools are not being closed nationwide but some states have suggested they might do so.
The number of confirmed cases has risen sharply in Australia in recent days, reaching 1,315.

Only critical workers should use tube, says London mayor

The worst-affected part of the UK from the spread of the coronavirus outbreak is London - with the capital's Labour mayor, Sadiq Khan, telling the BBC the city is "weeks ahead of the rest of the country".
He says Londoners should not leave their homes "unless you really have to", and public transport should not be used unless "essential".
Asked if the tube should be closed completely, Mr Khan says he is keen to keep some trains running so "critical workers" can get to work.
"Nobody else should be using public transport," he adds.
He says he has been lobbying ministers to make sure people aren't "confused" about the social distancing advice being given.
"This isn't advice as far as i'm concerned - these are instructions and these are rules that we should all obey to stop people dying," he adds

UK 'has ordered millions of antibody tests'

Robert Jenrick is asked about efforts by the UK government to ramp up production of ventilators for hospitals.
He says prototypes for the machines have been received, and he hopes some will come into hospitals "very quickly".
He also reveals that the government has ordered millions of antibody testing kits - which will be able to tell people if they have had the virus.
He says these will be made available "in the coming weeks".

Wales virus deaths rise by 7

A further seven patients in Wales who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the total to 12, chief medical officer for Wales Dr Frank Atherton said.
It takes the number of deaths in Wales to 12 - all were in the high-risk category, either over 70 or with underlying health conditions.

Africa cases top 1,000 amid more national curbs

Africa has seen its coronavirus cases pass the 1,000 mark this weekend. There are currently 1,198 confirmed cases of Covid-19, the continent's Centre for Disease Control has announced.
Uganda reported its first case last night after testing a passenger who had returned home from Dubai.
The confirmation came hours after President Yoweri Museveni had announced several crowd control measures including banning of all flight operations starting midnight on Sunday.
In neighbouring Rwanda, the government has announced that it may extend its 14-day lockdown which was imposed last week on Thursday.
Rwanda has so far recorded 17 cases of Covid-19, the most in the east Africa region.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo recorded its first Covid-19 related death after a doctor who had returned from France succumbed to the disease.
The Africa CDC has also announced 108 patients have recovered after contracting the virus.
Here is the full list of countries which have reported confirmed cases of Covid-19:

• Algeria (102), Angola (2), Benin (2), Burkina Faso (75), Cameroon (27), Cape Verde (1), Central African Republic(3), Chad(1), Congo(2), Côte d'Ivoire (17), Djibouti (1), DRC (18)
  

• Egypt (294), Equatorial Guinea (4), Eswatini (4), Ethiopia (9), Gabon (4), Gambia (1), Ghana (21), Guinea (2), Kenya (7), Liberia (3), Madagascar (3), Mauritius (14), Mauritania (2), Morocco (96), Namibia (3), Niger (1), Nigeria (25), Rwanda (17), Senegal (56), Seychelles (7), Somalia (1)
  

• South Africa (240), Sudan (2), Tanzania (6), Togo (9), Tunisia (60), Uganda (1), Zambia (2), Zimbabwe (2). Territories (2) with cases: Mayotte (4), Reunion (47). Countries (10) with deaths (37): Algeria (15)
  

• Burkina Faso (3), DRC (1), Egypt (10), Gabon (1), Ghana (1), Mauritius (1), Morocco (3), Sudan (1), Tunisia (1), Countries (11) with recoveries (108): Algeria (32), Burkina Faso (5), Cameroon (2), Côte d’Ivoire (1), Egypt (41), Ethiopia (4), Morocco (3), Nigeria (2), Senegal (5), South Africa (12), Tunisia (1)
  

'I applied at 7pm and was hired by 10pm'

While many firms have announced job cuts due to the coronavirus in recent days, UK supermarkets have been bucking the trend and have gone on a hiring spree to recruit tens of thousands more staff - and quickly.
Student Tracy Landu, 24, says hours at her university library had been cut back completely as the coronavirus outbreak meant fewer people were on campus.
She submitted a brief online application for a temporary customer service role at a Tesco store in north London at 19:00 GMT on Friday.
"It was really quick, I didn't put too much detail - I didn't actually upload a full CV - I just thought 'no, I'm not going to upload it'. I just knew they were quite desperate so the main details should be good [enough]."
By 22:00 she was phoned back by the store and - after a two-minute telephone interview - asked to attend her induction on Saturday.
Tesco is far from alone in recruiting thousands of extra staff - Asda, Aldi, Lidl and Morrisons have all launched recruitment drives.

Disease-related deaths rise to over 1,700 in Spain

Spanish authorities have reported 394 new virus-related deaths since yesterday, bringing the national total to 1,720. The rise compares with 324 new deaths on Saturday.
Over 3,600 new cases have also been confirmed. Officials say 28,572 have been infected since the outbreak began - 2,575 people have recovered.
Behind Italy and China, Spain has reported the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world. The majority of deaths have been reported in the country's capital, Madrid.

Life under lockdown for French dog owners

The French are spending their first Sunday under a strict "confinement" regime: they can only leave their homes to go to work (if they can't work from home), buy food, seek medical care or on urgent family business.
But what about walking your dog? As this police form shows, you can do so by filling in the name of your pets and the time you went out. You are only allowed one outing per day.

UK PM: We must act together to slow spread

Let's re-cap what UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said overnight.
In a warning to coincide with Mothering Sunday, Mr Johnson called for Britons not to visit their mothers in person this year.
"This time, the best thing is to ring her, video call her, Skype her, but to avoid any unnecessary physical contact or proximity," the PM said.
In a message to the country, Mr Johnson added that the numbers of coronavirus cases in the UK "are very stark, and they are accelerating".
He compared the country's situation to Italy.
"The Italians have a superb health care system. And yet their doctors and nurses have been completely overwhelmed by the demand," he said.
"The Italian death toll is already in the thousands and climbing. Unless we act together, unless we make the heroic and collective national effort to slow the spread - then it is all too likely that our own NHS will be similarly overwhelmed."

Iran refuses US offer of aid

Iran's Supreme Leader has rejected America's offer of aid to help the country with its battle against coronavirus.
In a televised speech, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US was Iran's "most evil enemy" and hinted at a conspiracy theory, also voiced by some Chinese officials, that America was responsible for the pandemic.
“I do not know how real this accusation is but when it exists, who in their right mind would trust you to bring them medication?" Mr Khamenei said. "Possibly your medicine is a way to spread the virus more.”
Without offering any evidence, he also alleged that the virus “is specifically built for Iran using the genetic data of Iranians which they have obtained through different means”.
Other Iranian officials have also accused America of hypocrisy for offering aid while refusing to lift heavy sanctions.
Iran has become one of the worst-hit countries in the world since the coronavirus outbreak began, and it has recorded the highest number of cases in the Middle East - more than 21,600. The official death toll has also risen to 1,685. But there are concerns that the actual number of infections and deaths in Iran is higher.
Today, French medical charity MSF said it was establishing a 50-bed emergency centre in Iran's Isfahan province to assist with relief efforts. Alongside Britain and Germany, France is already contributing a medical aid package to Iran, amid rising political tensions.

Sainsbury's amends special opening times

British supermarket Sainsbury's has changed its new opening time policy for the elderly and vulnerable and NHS staff.
The chain now says it will open half an hour earlier for all NHS staff each day at 07:30 GMT - while special shopping times for the elderly or at-risk will continue to be every Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 08:00-09:00.
It follows feedback that allowing NHS staff to shop at the same time as those who are vulnerable from the coronavirus might put them at risk.

Spain sets up hospital in Madrid conference centre

A makeshift hospital has been set up a a conference centre in the capital Madrid, a city that is bearing some of the highest infection rates.
The hospital will be fitted with 5,500 beds, making it the biggest facility of its kind in Europe. Its director, Antonio Zapatero, told El Mundo newspaper that 300 people will be move there this weekend.
Earlier we reported on new figures from Spain, which has now seen over 1,700 disease-related deaths since the coronavirus epidemic began.
Its total number of confirmed cases now stands at 28,572, making it one of the worst-hit countries in the world.
To combat infection rates, Spain has closed all bars, shut its borders, and enforced a lockdown on its 46 million residents.
But despite sweeping restrictions, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned on Saturday that the worst is yet to come, comparing its impact to Spain's civil war in the 1930s.
"We have yet to receive the impact of the strongest, most damaging wave, which will test our material and moral capacities to the limit, as well as our spirit as a society," he said.
The virus has already claimed the life of a policeman, and health care workers now account for over 10% of infections. With so many frontline staff at risk, concerns have been raised about the ability of hospitals to cope with so many new patients.
As part of efforts to shore up the healthcare system, around 14,000 doctors and nurses have been brought out of retirement to help.

London borough to close parks

Hammersmith and Fulham has become the first London borough to announce it will be closing its parks to combat coronavirus.
The borough council says the parks will be closing their gates at 19.00 GMT this evening until "further notice".
Current UK government adviceon social distancing for the general population says people should avoid "large and small gatherings in public spaces" - but does not explicitly say parks should be closed.
It also says most people can go for a walk or exercise outdoors, if they stay more than two metres from others.

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Scotland confirms three more deaths

Three more patients in Scotland have died after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths to 10, the Scottish government confirms.

Sturgeon tells people: Follow the advice

Nicola Sturgeon's news briefing is now over. She was also asked why she was not pursuing a policy of complete lockdown, and said the government would keep "under review" different powers and steps.
She says it is clear that everyone should consider everytime they are planning on coming into contact with others whether that contact is neccessary - she says if it is not neccessary they should not do it.
"If the shop is crowded my advice would be not to go in it," she adds. "I appeal to the public to follow the advice that is being given".
Ms Sturgeon says life should not feel normal right now and she asks the public to consider if their lives feel normal - and if it does, whether they need to make changes.
She reiterates advice for safe distancing of two metres (6ft) and says events such as a wedding receptions are among those which should not take place.

Pubs in Scotland 'will be forced to close'

Nicola Sturgeon says some pubs and bars chose to stay open on Saturday night, telling those establishments: "Close now".
She says emergency powers will be activated in the coming days to force licenced premises to close.

Sturgeon tells hotels: Do not accept guests

The first minister says hotels and B&Bs "should not be accepting visitors" and she warns against visitors flocking to the Scottish Highlands for walks.
She says the decision to close schools was taken for health reasons and that the number of children attending school this week must be kept to a minimum.
"The higher the number of children in childcare settings the higher the health risks for all of us," she says.
NHS staff will be prioritised and there are only so many places to go around, she adds.

200,000 Scots to be shielded

Ms Sturgeon says the most clinically vulnerable people in Scotland - around 200,000 people including cancer patients - will be contacted and offered a range of support.
Some of these people will be given strict instructions to self isolate, she adds.
She says the "extraordinary efforts this group will have to go through to protect themselves" should demonstrate to healthy people how serious the situation is.

Northern Ireland confirms second death

A second coronavirus-related death has been confirmed in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health says.
So far, there have been 108 cases of coronavirus there.

South Korean churches defy restrictions

Hundreds of churches across South Korea appeared to go ahead with religious services on Sunday, despite a government request to cancel them.
Church leaders asked worshippers to stand metres apart and to wear face masks, the state news agency Yonhap said.
The country’s culture minister met church officials at a large Protestant church in the capital Seoul, and repeated an earlier call for religious leaders to move church services online.
South Korea’s leaders have warned several times that they will have to impose stricter quarantine orders if South Koreans ignore government advice to avoid large gatherings.
Seoul has recorded 98 new cases of the virus over the past 24 hours. This is down from a high of 909 new infections which were confirmed in one day in late February.
Other countries have also struggled to prevent religious gatherings taking place. The Georgian Orthodox Church held services on Sunday despite a state of emergency which banned gatherings of 10 or more people.

Ms Sturgeon also confirmed:

• The number of people who have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Scotland has risen to 10 - the country's 416 confirmed positive cases was described as a "significant underestimate"
  

• The military has helped transport a coronavirus patient from a Scottish island to the mainland for treatment
  
• Ferry services to Scottish islands will only be open to islanders and freight
  
• Some 200,000 Scots will be "shielded" by the government and told not to leave their homes for at least 12 weeks
  
• NHS staff will be prioritised for the reduced number of school places from Monday
  

Misleading info spreads on WhatsApp

Misleading coronavirus information is rife online. One particular post with a mix of accurate and inaccurate info is catching on fast.
It takes the form of a voice note which has been spreading rapidly on WhatsApp.
In the past few hours dozens of audience members from around the world have sent the audio to the BBC.
There’s no way to tell how many people may have heard it, but it’s definitely going viral.
The person speaking in the note says she’s translating advice from a “colleague who has a friend” working at a hospital on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria.
The information itself is a mix of tips. Some are helpful: She encourages people to drink lots of hot drinks and wash surfaces thoroughly. It’s definitely a good idea to keep hydrated and clean.
But the voice memo includes misleading advice as well. The speaker suggests “sunlight … neutralises the virus” and that coronavirus can be killed by taking “a sip of warm water every 20 minutes”. There’s no scientific basis for either of these claims.
It’s the latest reminder that not everything you get forwarded from a “friend of a friend” is reliable.
The BBC has debunked some of the more common medical myths.
And we’ve traced how bad information goes viral.

Karachi residents ordered to stay at home

In Pakistan, the entire province of Sindh, which includes the country’s largest city Karachi, is going into lockdown from midnight for two weeks in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Residents will only be allowed out of their homes for essential purposes. All offices and shops other than pharmacies and those selling food items have been ordered to close.
Karachi, the commercial heart of Pakistan, is normally a heaving metropolis of around 15 million people.
There have been more than 600 cases in Pakistan so far. The bulk of the country's coronavirus cases consist of people travelling back from neighbouring Iran, though there have been an increasing number of instances of community transmission in the city of Karachi.
Sindh province is controlled by an opposition party. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has opposed a nationwide lockdown saying it would cause too much harm to those on low incomes.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Afghanistan has reported the first coronavirus-related death - a 40-year-old patient in Balkh province.

What's the latest around Europe?

Although the virus first originated in China last year, it has spread rapidly around the world and now Italy is at the epicentre of the pandemic.
But other European countries are also struggling. Here's the latest:

• Italy's worst-hit region, Lombardy, announced stricter measures as part of its lockdown. Sport and physical activity outside are banned as is the use of vending machines
  
• The country's president, Sergio Mattarella, said he hoped the rest of the world could learn from Italy's troubles. He said citizens across the European Union needed to feel the bloc was taking concrete action to combat the virus
  
• Mr Mattarella also thanked Germany for agreeing to send medical equipment. Meanwhile, Russia began sending military doctors, disinfection vehicles and other medical equipment to Italy
  
• Spain registered its worst figures yet after almost 400 people died in a single day. It brought the national total there to 1,720 making it one of the worst-hit countries in the world
  
• A makeshift hospital has been set up in a conference centre in the capital Madrid, a city that is bearing some of the highest infection rates
  
• And the country's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said he was seeking to extend by 15 days a state of emergency which bars people from leaving home for non-essential reasons
  
• The Netherlands, Greece, France and Germany all reported a surge in the number of deaths and cases. Romania reported its first death from the virus
  

Production suspended for Coronation Street and Emmerdale

Production of TV soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale will be suspended on Monday, ITV has announced.
The UK broadcaster said enough episodes have been recorded to see both soaps through until "at least the early summer".
But it said it had now made the decision to halt production to protect the health and well-being of staff.
A reduced transmission schedule for both soaps will begin on 30 March.

What to do if you go for a walk and it's crowded?

We're being told that - for most of us - maintaining social distance doesn't neccesarily mean we must stay indoors permanently.
People can take exercise and many are doing so - scenes at the Snowdonia National Park in Wales were described as "unprecedented" on Sunday as huge numbers travelled there to take in fresh air.
So what should you do if you go for a walk in a park and it is crowded?
Prof Robert Dingwall, a sociologist from Nottingham Trent University who is advising the UK government, said problems occur when people cannot maintain the recommended two metre (6ft) separation.
He says: "If that is the case, then it probably is better to go home and pick a quieter time or a quieter location."
Dr Robin Thompson, an epidemiologist at Oxford University, added: "The key thing is to exercise while minimising contacts.
"There are many walks all across the UK - so, where possible, individuals can research walks without main attractions such as viewpoints or other areas that represent likely gathering points for groups of people."
"Local footpaths are likely to be less crowded than walks through major parks. And we can all try and maintain at least two metres distance between ourselves and others while out exercising."

Key UK developments

Ahead of the latest UK government news conference, let's re-cap the latest developments:

• The number of deaths related to the coronavirus outbreak rises to 244 - but the latest figures for England are yet to be published
  
• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says people should avoid seeing relatives in person and warns the NHS could be "overwhelmed" by coronavirus patients
  
• Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tells pubs and bars that continue to trade that she will use emergency powers activated this week to force them to close
  

• Letters are being sent to 1.5 million people in England most at risk of coronavirus, urging them to stay home
  
• The military will help organise food deliveries for those told to stay at home for an extended period
  

Germany bans meetings of more than two people

Germany has announced further measures to try to curb the spread of coronavirus, banning meetings of more than two people outside work and home for at least two weeks.

Police Scotland begins shutting down pubs

Police in Scotland have begun forcing pubs and clubs to close.
Emergency closure orders are being enforced on licensed premises which are in defiance of the UK prime minister's order to close last week, according to Police Scotland.
In a statement, the force said officers are visiting those premises to implement compulsory 24-hour closures, which it said can and will be repeated if neccessary.
It follows First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warning those pubs that have not closed that there would be emergency legislation brought in to force them to do so this week.

UK death toll rises to 281

The number of people who have died from coronavirus in the UK now stands at 281 - a rise of 48 - the government has said.
There are now 5,683 confirmed cases in the UK - a rise of 665 on Saturday.

Italy reports 651 new deaths

Italy has reported 651 new deaths from coronavirus, taking the total number of dead to 5,476, the government says.

'No doubt' UK will enforce distancing rules if they aren't followed, PM says

Asked by the BBC's Vicki Young why he is not imposing social distancing measures, Mr Johnson says the government has already taken "draconian" steps such as closing schools and pubs, bars and restaurants.
"It is very important for people's mental and physical wellbeing that they should be able to get out and exercise," he says, adding not everyone has a private open space. "That is why parks and open spaces are absolutely crucial."
He says that - despite this - people must follow social distancing advice otherwise "there is no doubt" that the government will bring forward further measures.
Asked what the "further measures" relating to social distancing are and when they might be implemented, Mr Johnson says people "do not need to use their imagination to see where the government may have to go".
He mentions the kind of measures seen elsewhere. In Europe, governments have implemented lockdowns and restrictions on movement.
"I don't want to do that, I have tried to explain the public health benefits [from] the sense that you can go out," Mr Johnson says. He says the ability to go out can only be preserved if people act responsibly.
"If we can't do that I am afraid we are going to need to bring forward tougher measures."

Merkel: Our behaviour is best way to fight virus

More on the new restrictions imposed by the German government moments ago, banning gatherings of more than two people outside work and home.
"Our behaviour is the most effective way" of slowing the rate of infection, Chancellor Angela Merkel said of the nationwide measures.
Some exceptions will be allowed, including for people living under the same roof and going out together for fresh air.
The government has also ordered hairdressers and beauty, massage and tattoo parlours to close and restaurants will only be allowed to offer takeaway services.
The country had already closed schools and other non-essential shops.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel quarantined

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in quarantine after meeting a doctor on Friday who has since tested positive for the virus, her spokesman said.
She was told about the contact after a press conference on Sunday in which she announced further measures to try to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Her government banned meetings of more than two people outside work and home for two weeks.

Strict lockdown not wanted - but may come if needed

It was a pretty stark warning - and a question everyone wants to know.
If people aren't following the advice, what will the government do?
It is very clear from the prime minister that he is actively considering further measures.
We have seen in other countries people are being told not to leave their houses.
But Boris Johnson said he does not want to impose such restrictions.
He says he is very, very concerned with people's mental and physical health if they cannot leave the house.

Recap: UK coronavirus news conference

The latest UK government news conference on its coronavirus response has come to an end. Here’s what happened:

• PM Boris Johnson warned the government would take "further measures" to enforce social distancing advice if it is not respected
  
• He said he would think "very actively" about this over the next 24 hours
  
• He said he wanted people to continue to be able to go to parks, but people should stay 2m (6f) away from others
  
• Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick pledged the government would support 1.5m vulnerable people advised to stay at home for 12 weeks
  
• He said he hoped food deliveries to them would begin at the end of next week, and would become more "sophisticated" over time
  
• He added that councils would join up with supermarkets to ensure food deliveries are made
  

First US senator tests positive

US Senator Rand Paul has tested positive for the virus, his office has announced.
The Republican from Kentucky is the first member of the upper chamber of Congress to announce he has Covid-19.
Several members of the House of Representatives have already tested positive for the virus.
Mario Diaz-Balart, a Florida Republican, and Utah Democrat Ben McAdams announced they were in self-quarantine earlier this week.

'It’s insensitive. It’s arrogant': NY governor berates residents

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo chastised New York City residents for defying official health guidance and continuing to socialise in large groups.
"It’s a mistake. It’s insensitive. It’s arrogant. It’s self-destructive," Mr Cuomo said on Sunday.
"This is not a joke, and I am not kidding," adding that he shared New Yorkers’ frustration at having to stay inside. "I’m even getting annoyed with the dog."
Mr Cuomo has cancelled all non-critical surgeries in the state as cases across New York continue to soar. There are at least 15,168 confirmed cases - a jump of 4,812 since Saturday - and 114 deaths, Mr Cuomo said.
At least 38 of New York City’s over 9,000 cases are those inside prisons, including 21 inmates. Activists have urged early releases to lower population densities within the facilities.
Already, prisons in Los Angeles and Ohio have allowed for hundreds of early releases and New York’s mayor has said the city will look to release “vulnerable” inmates.

18-year-old with underlying conditions dies in England

The latest figures for coronavirus-related deaths in England included a person as young as 18, the NHS says.
In total 37 people with the virus died today in England, all in vulnerable groups including with underlying conditions.
There were another seven in Wales, three in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland.

Placido Domingo tests positive for coronavirus

Opera singer Placido Domingo has tested positive for coronavirus.
The 79-year-old Spanish tenor wrote on his Facebook page that he was in self-isolation with his family, but remained "in good health".
"I experienced fever and cough symptoms therefore deciding to get tested and the result came back positive,"
He urged his followers to wash their hands frequently and keep their distance from one another.
"Together we can fight this virus and stop the current worldwide crisis," he continued.

French death toll rises by 112 to 674

The death toll from coronavirus in France has increased to 674, after another 112 people were confirmed to have died over the past 24 hours.
"The virus kills and it is continuing to kill," said health official Jerome Salomon on Sunday.
A total of 16,018 cases have been recorded in France, but the figure is widely believed to be an "underestimate", Mr Salomon warned.
France has been in lockdown since Tuesday, with only essential trips outside permitted. Mr Salomon urged the people to show "patience".

Why has Italy been so badly affected?

You’ve probably heard by now that Italy has been hit hard by the virus.
It’s now at the epicentre of the outbreak, and the country's president has urged other countries to learn from its struggle to slow the spread of Covid-19.
The number of recorded deaths there recently overtook those in China, where the virus originated last year. Italy reported 651 coronavirus deaths on Sunday and saw its toll for the past month reach 5,476, the highest in the world.
So why has Italy been so badly affected? A number of possible reasons have been mooted.
Some studies point to the large number of elderly people in the worst affected regions, such as Lombardy in the north. Italy also has the oldest population in the world after Japan with some 23% of people there over the age of 65.
This matters because the virus is especially dangerous for older people.
The vast majority of Italy's fatal cases involved elderly people with at least one pre-existing condition, officials say. The average age of the first 3,200 people who died was 78.5.
Experts also say a large proportion of 18-34s live at home with these older people, which increases the risk of the virus spreading.
Another factor that may help explain Italy's crisis is the length of time the virus has been active.
Some health officials believe it arrived in Italy long before the first case was officially confirmed in late February. It likely spread undetected through northern Italy, possibly for several weeks.

EU to stockpile masks and ventilators for member states

The EU has decided to create a stockpile of medical equipment such as masks and ventilators to help those member countries who are struggling to secure supplies in the battle against coronavirus.
The European Commission said it would finance 90% of the stockpile, which will distributed to countries that need most.
The announcement comes amid criticism that the EU is not doing enough to support the many states dealing with a rising death toll from Covid-19.
In addition, the EU continues to help members bring back their citizens who are stranded abroad because of the outbreak. Up to 75% of the cost of repatriation is covered by the EU, providing the flight repatriates citizens of more than one member state.

McDonalds restaurants to close across UK and Ireland

All McDonalds restaurants across the UK and Ireland will close by 19:00 GMT on Monday 23 March.
The fast food giant said the decision was "not taken lightly" and was made "with the well-being and safety of our employees in mind, as well as in the best interests of our customers".
In a post on Twitter, hey thanked their "brilliant employees for their hard work" and said the restaurants would re-open "as soon as it is safe".

Summary for 23rd March

   - Canada and Australia say they will not send teams to the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games
   - Earlier, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe said an Olympic postponement "may become inevitable"
   - UK government thinking "very, very actively" about stricter policies on social distancing
   - 81 people with the virus have died in the UK, with 5,683 cases in total
   - Passenger flights to Dubai International Airport are to be suspended
   - South Korea reports lowest number of new cases in weeks
   - Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein tests positive for Covid-19 in prison
   - 340,000 confirmed cases worldwide, with nearly 15,000 deaths and almost 100,000 people recovering

---

• Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says postponement of the Olympics may "become inevitable". It comes after the governor of Tokyo had earlier said that cancellation was "not an option"
  
• New Zealand has lifted the country's coronavirus alert status to level 3 - and is set to rise to level 4 which means all non-essential services will have to close. The changes will come into effect in around 48 hours
  
• A nationwide shut down across Australia has kicked in, with pubs, clubs, gyms, cinemas and places of worship shutting down, as the number of confirmed cases continues to rise
  
• Meanwhile in China, the number of new cases on Sunday has dropped to 39, down from 46 on Saturday
  

More than 330,000 confirmed cases worldwide

• China: 81,426
  
• Italy: 59,138
  
• US: 33,276
  
• Spain: 28,768
  
• Germany: 24,873
  

Almost 15,000 deaths worldwide so far

• Italy: 5,476
  
• Hubei province, China: 3,153
  
• Spain: 1,772
  
• Iran: 1,685
  
• France: 674
  

NZ to shut down services

New Zealand is the latest country to step up measures and within 48 hours the coronavirus alert will rise to Level 4. Here's what that means for the country:

• Non-essential businesses, including bars, restaurants, cafes - must close
  

• Schools to close entirely
  
• Public transport only available for people in essential services
  
• People instructed to stay home
  

These measures will be in place for at least four weeks.

Massive Australian queues for welfare support

In the past hour it has ticked over midday in Australia – marking the official beginning of a nationwide shutdown.
All non-essential services such as pubs and gyms are being closed, and restaurants will now be takeaway only.
As businesses grind to a halt, long queues of people seeking government assistance have formed outside welfare offices.
It's been exacerbated by the website which administers them, My.gov.au, crashing amid massive demand.
Authorities have urged people to persist with online applications.
"Please consider the health and safety of our customers and staff and do not visit our service centres unless there's a critical need for you to be there," a statement by Services Australia says.

Canada will not send athletes to Tokyo 2020

We've got more Olympics related news coming in.(1:44)
Canadian Olympic Committee has called on the IOC to postpone the Tokyo Games for one year, according to a Reuters report.
Team Canada said it would not send its athletes to Tokyo 2020 due to the coronavirus risk - adding that the world is "in the midst of a global health crisis far more significant than sport".

Abe: Olympics could be postponed

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said postponing the Olympic Games could become an option if it was not possible to hold it in its "complete form".
He said the country might have "no option but to consider postponing the games", but added that cancellation was not an option.
This is a dramatic shift from what he had said earlier last week. He had then confidently announced that Japan would "overcome the spread of the infection and host the Olympics without problem".
The Olympics are due to be held in the capital Tokyo this July.

The scene in Morocco

On Sunday, Morocco sent military vehicles into the streets to order people to stay at home. Police are also enforcing the message. A public health state of emergency went into effect on Friday.

Singapore's new infection wave sees many cases from UK

Over the last few days, Singapore's number of "imported cases" - people who caught the virus overseas and entered the country - has begun outstripping cases of local transmission. Most of the imported cases are returning citizens and residents, and many travelled from the UK.
Like several other Asian countries, Singapore managed to control an initial wave of infections but is now seeing a second wave. The government has now imposed strict measures such as banning all tourists and even some work pass holders from returning.

Richard Branson to inject $250 million

Virgin mogul Richard Branson will invest $250 million dollars into his business to "protect and save jobs".  In a blog post on Sunday, he called the outbreak the "most significant crisis the world has experienced in my lifetime". He said his businesses had been badly affected, that many of his airlines had to ground planes, health clubs and hotels by the chain had closed and that all bookings to their holiday company had stopped.
He said his investment would be pumped in over the next weeks and months.

'Japan finally acknowledges what's been obvious'

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes - BBC Tokyo correspondent
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has for the first time acknowledged that the Tokyo Olympic games may have to be postponed. Speaking this morning in the Japanese parliament Mr Abe said a postponement might have to be considered if the games cannot be held safely because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The games are currently due to open on 24 July.
Prime Minister Abe’s statement is an acknowledgement of what has been obvious to many here for some time. The Covid-19 pandemic means the Tokyo games probably cannot be go ahead on time in July. Mr Abe’s statement came hours after the International Olympic Committee said it was making contingency plans including the possibility of postponing the games. But Mr Abe and IOC say no final decision will be made for another month.
That is still too slow for some countries. Canada’s Olympic Committee has now declared it will not send a team to the Tokyo games unless they are postponed by at least a year. Other national Olympic committees may now follow.
For Japan a delay will be bad, but a cancellation would be far worse. Japan is estimated to have spent around $30 billion US dollars to host the games. That is why Prime Minister Abe has repeatedly said he wants to games to be held in full – with all athletes and spectators present.

Pressure piles on Olympic decision-makers

To add to the pressure, Australia's Chef de Mission for Tokyo Ian Chesterman has said it is "clear the Games can't be held in July".
In a statement, he said he was "aware... a postponement will present a range of new issues... but when the world does come together [the] Games can be a true celebration of sport and humanity".
New Zealand's Olympic Committee President had earlier written an open letter to the country's national team.
In it, Mike Stanley said that athletes needed "a safe and fair playing field to compete and right now, the widespread and evolving impact of Covid-19 is not allowing that to happen".
He urged the IOC to finalise their decision "as soon as possible".

Singapore Airlines cuts 96% of capacity

Singapore Airlines has slashed 96% of its capacity until the end of April, amid an unprecedented crisis in the airline industry.
The move will result in 138 SIA and SilkAir planes being grounded - out of a fleet of 147.
Its low-cost carrier Scoot will also suspend most of its network, grounding 47 out of 49 planes.
The group called the outbreak the "greatest challenge [it] has faced in its existence".

Will the UK government rescue package be enough for firms?

The UK government has announced the biggest intervention in private sector business since World War Two to help fight the economic impact of the coronavirus.
The questions it will try to answer later on Monday are: "How will it work? How do I get the money? What will it mean for my business and my staff?"

70,000 students coming back to Taiwan raises fears

Tens of thousands of overseas Taiwanese, including an estimated 70,000 students who were studying in Europe, are expected to return in the coming days - indeed many have begun doing so. There are worries they may significantly raise the number of confirmed cases here.
Many returnees lined up for special taxis at the airport last week to take them home or to facilities to undergo 14 days of mandatory quarantine.
Still, with 169 cases and two deaths as of Sunday, Taiwan is doing far better than many countries, especially given its proximity to China and high rate of travel among its population.
Health officials here are now working hard to isolate newly confirmed cases, but also find people they had come in contact with, so they can test, quarantine and stop the disease spreading into the community.

Harvey Weinstein tests positive for virus - reports

Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Reuters quoting the head of the state corrections office union.
Weinstein, who is currently serving a prison sentence for sexual assault and rape, has been placed in isolation at the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York.
A state prison official said two prisoners at the Wende Facility had also tested positive for the virus.
Weinstein, who was found guilty of rape and sexual assault last month, is now being held at the Wende Correctional Facility in upstate New York.
Before arriving at Wende, he had spent time at Rikers Island, a prison in New York City, and a hospital where he was treated for heart problems and chest pains.

New York has 5% of Covid-19 cases worldwide

The city of New York has more than 15,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus - accounting for roughly 5% of the cases worldwide.

Saudi Arabia to impose nationwide curfew

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has ordered a nationwide curfew starting on Monday after a spike in coronavirus infections.
The curfew is from 7pm to 6am for 21 days according to state news agency SPA.
Meanwhile the United Arab Emirates has suspended all passenger and transit flights in and out of the country.
All shopping centres will shut and restaurants will only do delivery services.

Turkish Airlines halts most international flights

We told you about dramatic moves from Singapore Airlines earlier, now Turkish Airlines has said it will halt all its international flights by Friday, except those to Hong Kong, Moscow, Ethiopia, New York and Washington.
The carrier said 85% of its passenger planes were not currently in use.
It comes after Turkey banned flights from more than 60 countries due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The announcement by Turkish Airlines follows similar moves by major airlines around the world.

North Korea warns on quarantine

North Korea's state newspaper the Rodong Sinmun has called for "unconditional and absolute" adherence to coronavirus quarantine regulations, reported South Korean news outlet Yonhap.
The article is reportedly seen as a warning to officials - it warned them against seeking privileges, saying the rules applied equally to everyone with no exceptions.
North Korea claims there are no virus cases in the country, though this has been seriously questioned by experts.

Lessons for the West, from Asia

For many in Europe, the virus outbreak has been a shocking new development with a rapid rise in cases in the last few weeks. But for many across Asia, the uncertainty and concerns around the coronavirus have been a part of life for almost three months.
Here's what some Asian countries did, and what the West could learn from it.

India's capital - a city of 18 million - shuts down

As Covid-19 cases in India soared to 359 over the weekend, Indian cities have begun shutting down.
That includes the capital, Delhi - a city of more than 18 million people, spread across nearly 1,500 sq km (572 sq miles). It has reported 29 active cases so far.
All shops, schools, offices and factories have been closed here until 31 March; public transport, such as buses, metro stations, taxis and auto-rickshaws have all stopped running; and the city has also sealed its borders with neighbouring states.
Only “essential services”, which includes emergency services, groceries, pharmacies, water and power supply, and the media, are allowed to function - and only their employees can use buses or drive their own vehicles.
The city has also invoked a colonial-era law that prohibits a gathering of more than four people.
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures," the city's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on Sunday evening.

'Stay away from churches and karaoke rooms'

South Korea has reported the lowest number of new coronavirus cases since infection rates peaked four weeks ago, fuelling hope Asia’s worst outbreak outside China may be abating.
But health officials have warned that this is not the time to be complacent and that the country faces a long war against the infection.
The government sent out emergency alerts at the weekend urging people to stay away from places which encourage mass gatherings such as churches, karaoke rooms, nightclubs and gyms. They also asked religious leaders to check the temperature of followers and keep them at least 2m apart during any services they deemed necessary.
In fact a number of churches are now facing legal action after violating such guidelines.
Sixty-four new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the last 24 hours taking the total number of infected patients in the country to 8,961 and 111 people have died.

Most of China's imported cases come from the UK

Chinese state media Global Times has released figures today breaking down the country's imported virus cases. The UK leads this list, followed by Spain and Iran.

Seeking consensus on schools? Don't ask Australia

Should children go to school? If Australian leaders hoped to provide clarity on that question, they have almost done the opposite.
As it stands, Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government says schools are open and students should go, but that it’s ultimately up to parents.
The two most populous states have different positions.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian agrees schools should be open, but is encouraging parents to keep children at home. Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews goes even further, saying schools will be closed from Tuesday – arguing shutting them is inevitable.
You can sense parents' frustration on social media, many slamming leaders for inconsistent and unclear messages.
At a time when clarity is crucial in the country's bid to slow coronavirus, when it comes to schools, many families are just not sure what to do.

What's the situation like across South Asia?

Here's an update from a region which has only recently seen a spike in cases, but where experts have warned outbreaks may be particularly hard to control:

• Cases soared in Pakistan to beyond 700, making it the country in South Asia with most cases. Authorities have banned all international flights and the province of Sindh, which has reported the highest number of cases, is under lockdown. Prime Minister Imran Khan: "Lock down yourself because if I lock down the entire country it will create a lot of problems".
  
• The Indian capital, Delhi, is also under lockdown until the end of March - you can read more about what this means in some of our earlier posts
  
• Two prison inmates have died in Sri Lanka during protests against curbing visitors as a measure to contain the virus. The island has seen 77 confirmed cases, prompting a temporary curfew.
  
• In Bangladesh, 25 people have tested positive for Covid-19 and authorities have banned all international flights and shut down schools and colleges.
  

Are you allowed to go on a walk in the UK?

And other virus related questions you might have, answered here.

Chinese billionaire Jack Ma sends aid to Africa

Jack Ma, the man who co-founded e-commerce site Alibaba, has sent medical supplies to Africa.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed tweeted they would start distribution on Monday.
Experts have warned that Africa's struggling health infrastructure would not be able to cope if the virus becomes established there.
The region has reported about 1,100 cases spread across 43 countries, with 39 deaths.

Sending children to school in UK 'should be last resort'

In the UK, schools are closed - except to the children of key workers, such as medics, police, and those involved in food distribution.
Only one parent needs to be a key worker for the exemption to apply.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said sending a child to school should be seen "as a last resort".
"It is likely that more children than expected will turn up at school," he said.
Mary Bousted - join leader of another teachers' group, the National Education Union - urged everyone to "play fair".
"There may have to be some difficult conversations with parents," she said.

Cruise ship with sick passengers heads for Perth

A ship with more than 250 sick people is headed to the Australian city of Perth.
Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan said hundreds on board the MSC Magnifica had reported "upper respiratory illness" - none of them have yet been confirmed to have Covid-19.
Mr McGowan said that these passengers were from "overseas - Germany, France and Italy".
He said overseas passengers would not be allowed off the ship. There are around 1,700 passengers in total. The cruise liner is due to dock as early as today.
Last week, hundreds of passengers disembarked off the Ruby Princess in downtown Sydney, despite confirmed cases of the virus on board.

UK thinking 'very actively' about stricter measures

The UK has shut down schools (for most children) and pubs, and has urged people to socially distance. But thousands of people flocked to parks and tourist hotspots over the weekend, drawing criticism online.
At his daily news conference on Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said new, stricter measures may now be introduced.
"I don't think you need to use your imagination very much to see where we might have to go, and we will think about this very very actively in the next 24 hours," he said.
"We need to think about the kind of measures we've seen elsewhere - other countries that have been forced to bring in restrictions on people's movements altogether."

Sri Lanka arrests nearly 2,000 people for violating curfew

Police in Sri Lanka have arrested nearly 2,000 people for violating a nationwide curfew that was declared on Friday.
A police statement said they had arrested 1,754 people for curfew violations. A majority of these, the statement said, had been "aimlessly loitering" on the roads.
Others had been arrested for gathering at playgrounds and drinking, drunk and disorderly behaviour and for opening their shops for trade.
With 87 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Sunday evening, officials are worried that the country's healthcare system will not be able to cope with a full-blown outbreak.

UAE to suspend all flights

The United Arab Emirates - home to the world's busiest international airport in Dubai - has announced that it will suspend all passenger and transit flights to and from the country for two weeks, starting from 25 March.
Dubai international airport saw 86.4 million passengers in 2019. It's also home to Emirates - one of the world's biggest airlines. Emirates has now also announced that it will suspend all passenger flights by 25 March.
It comes as all shopping and commercial centres are set to close in the next 48 hours. However stores selling essential goods,including supermarkets and pharmacies, will remain open.
Restaurants will have their service limited to deliveries.

Nigeria doctors stop strike for 'humanity's sake'

Doctors who had gone on strike indefinitely in Nigeria after not being paid for months have called it off "for the sake of humanity".
"Considering the recent coronavirus cases in the country and the commitment shown by stakeholders in the health sector", they would suspend their strike, the Nigeria Association of Resident Doctors said in a statement.
Nigeria confirmed four new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 30.

The situation in Pakistan

Authorities in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province have ordered a 15-day lockdown in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Sindh accounts for 352 of the country’s 799 people who have so far tested positive.
Of these, 130 cases are located in Karachi - the country’s largest business and industrial hub with a population of 15 million.
Recent test results have shown that while most coronavirus cases in Sindh originated from cross-border travel to Iran, more than 80 have been found to have been caused by local transmission – that is, among people who had no recent travel history.
All public parks, main markets and public transport have been ordered to shut, though medical and grocery stores will remain open during certain hours while journalists and newspaper hawkers have been allowed free movement to counter what a government official called “the spread of fake news.”
Beginning Tuesday, the province will also shut down its two main airports – at Karachi and Sukkur – for domestic flights. International traffic has already been shut across the country.
These measures are at odds with the federal government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan, which is still reluctant to declare a country-wide lockdown.

Jakarta begins shut down

Indonesia's capital Jakarta - a city of more than 10 million people - began implementing shut down measures on Monday.
The city's governor had on Friday declared a state of emergency, announcing that public entertainment spaces like bars, cinemas and restaurants would be shut on Monday until 2 April.
Public transport operators are also limiting their services - with operating hours cut down in a bid to reduce passenger numbers.
But on Monday, a Twitter user posted this photo showing the reality of the situation.
"It is this crowded in the train at 05:52am," says this caption.https://twitter.com/amorabethari/status/1241878098330537984

UK MPs to debate emergency powers

The UK is just waking up to another week of isolation and social distancing, brought in to try to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Later today, however, MPs will debate strengthening these measures with emergency legislation giving them additional powers.
Under the proposed new legislation, airports could shut and police would be able to force people with symptoms of the virus to isolate.
The powers would be time-limited for two years, and it's expected that MPs will approve them.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned the government would "very actively" consider tougher anti-virus measures over the following 24 hours.

Facebook to donate 720,000 masks

Tech giant Facebook has donated 720,000 masks to US health workers, its CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said.
Mr Zuckerberg said the masks had been bought in case the US wildfires continued, and that it was the company's emergency reserve.
The US has seen a surge in demand for masks as the outbreak continues to grow rapidly across the country.

Jury trials on hold in England and Wales

All jury trials in England and Wales are to be put on hold, in response to the spread of the virus.
In a statement on Monday, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett, said no new trials would start and that ongoing trials would be paused while arrangements were put in place so they can continue safely.
Last week, it was announced that no new trials expected to last three days or more would go ahead amid the deepening coronavirus crisis.

Iran tells US: 'Lift sanctions if you want to help'

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called US leaders "liars", and has told them to lift sanctions instead of offering aid.
"American leaders are lying" he said in a televised speech. "If they want to help Iran, all they need to do is lift sanctions... then we can deal with the coronavirus outbreak.
"You have blocked Iran's oil exports, you have stopped Iran's banking transactions.. your help offer is the biggest lie in history."
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected the US's offer of assistance yesterday.
More than 1,700 people have died of the virus in Iran, and there are more than 21,000 confirmed cases.

Good morning UK, here are some of the key developements (@ 7:38)
Good morning to those joining us in the UK and around the world.There have been numerous developments over the weekend and already today in the UK. Here is a quick summary::

• Letters and texts will be sent to 1.5 million people in England who are most at risk of coronavirus to stay at home. If that's you, you can read more about what to expect here
  
• All new jury trials in England and Wales have been suspended to allow courthouses to put in place measures to aid social distancing
  
• McDonald's has said it will close all of its restaurants in the UK from 19:00 GMT. Nando's has also announced it has closed its restaurants
  
• Train operators will be operating a reduced timetable from today
  
• Teachers unions have followed Boris Johnson in pleading for workers to send their children to school or nursery only if absolutely necessary
  
• MPs will be asked to pass the Coronavirus Bill later. Some MPs have called for the powers to have a strict time limit
  
• Under the proposed legislation
  

[*], airports could be shut and people held on public health grounds
[*]Health Secretary Matt Hancock will be speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme shortly after 08:00
[*]His appearance comes after he acknowledged problems in getting of personal protective equipment to NHS staff in England
[*]There were 101 new UK deaths caused by coronavirus announced over the weekend, taking the total number to 281 - including a person aged 18 with an underlying health condition
[/list]

Hong Kong 'to ban all tourists'

Hong Kong will ban all tourists and transit travellers to the city, the South China Morning Post has reported, quoting sources.
All bars, pubs and entertainment venues will also be asked to shut, the sources told the news outlet ahead of an expected announcement by the city's leader Carrie Lam later this afternoon.
Hong Kong is already quarantining all people arriving from abroad, and mainland China, for 14 days.
The city's leader Carrie Lam said in a news conference that all foreigners would be banned for the next 14 days.
The new measures will kick in on Wednesday.

Costa Coffee to close in UK

Costa Coffee is closing its stores in the UK from this evening.
"At Costa Coffee our number one priority is the safety of our store teams and customers," it said in a statement,"As the need to support social distancing increases, we have taken the decision to temporarily close our stores."
The company said it would "do its best" to keep Costa stores open in hospitals, where it would continue to provide free takeaway coffee for the next two weeks to NHS workers.
All staff members whose store has closed will be paid their full average weekly pay for eight weeks.
Some stores had already moved to takeaway only. This picture was taken at London Paddington station on Friday.

Britons ignoring guidance 'very selfish'

It's a busy morning for Health Secretary Matt Hancock. He has also been speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
We're bringing you some of the new lines to emerge. Such as...
He says those who are flouting advice to keep away from others are "very selfish", and that the consequence of their actions "costs lives and it means that for everyone this will go on for longer".
It comes after crowds were pictured at busy markets, beaches and other sites across the UK.

New helpline for frontline staff without protective equipment

The UK health secretary says the UK has got to keep the NHS's 1.4 million workers safe. Matt Hancock says a shipment of protective equipment has been sent to each hospital in the UK and a new helpline has been set up for frontline workers "so we know where the shortages are".
He has defended Prime Minister Boris Johnson from criticism that he had not taken enough action, saying all ministers were working "every day from first thing in the morning to last thing at night... we are doing everything we possibly can to keep people safe".

HK looking to ban sales of alcohol

We've got more news lines coming out of Hong Kong.
In a press conference on Monday, the city's leader Carrie Lam said the government would look at changing the law to enable authorities to ban bars and restaurants from selling alcohol, broadcaster RTHK reports.
It comes after at least five people, who later tested positive for the virus, were found to have visited the popular party district of Lan Kwai Fong, said news site South China Morning Post.

First cases reported in Gaza

The first two cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
The two cases are both men, aged 79 and 63, who returned to Gaza from Pakistan this weekend, travelling via Egypt.
They are now in quarantine in the town of Rafah, on the border with Egypt. Officials said everyone they had come into contact with had also been placed in isolation.
About two million people live in Gaza's overcrowded refugee camps and cities. If the virus spreads, it would be an additional burden on the territory's already-overstretched health system.
Speaking in the West Bank yesterday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh ordered people to stay at home for two weeks from Sunday night, with the exception of essential workers - medical staff, pharmacists, grocers and bakers. Others are only allowed to leave home to buy essentials.

The people making a difference

These are difficult and worrying times for all of us.
While BBC News is committed to bringing you the very latest developments from around the world, we're also focusing on some of the brilliant demonstrations of community spirit across the UK today.
And we've been hearing about a lot.
From the man who proposed in the aisles of Iceland supermarket rather than on a planned trip abroad, to the free community kitchens popping up across the West Midlands, there are so many positive examples of people helping each other.
Read more about the people making a difference on the ground by joining our alternative live page here.

What's the latest from the Middle East?

Welcome to our readers across the world - particularly those joining us from self-isolation.
Countries in the Middle East continue to wrestle with the virus, and many are further escalating their responses.
Here are the main headlines from the region.

• Saudi Arabia, which has the most cases in the Gulf outside of Iran, will introduce a three-week curfew from 19:00 to 06:00, starting Monday night
  
• Syria has confirmed its first case - a 20-year-old woman whom the health ministry says came into the country from abroad
  
• The world's busiest airport, Dubai International, will effectively shut down from 25 March when the UAE suspends all passenger and transit flights
  
• The Palestinian territory in the Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas, confirms its first two cases of Covid-19 in two men who had returned from Pakistan via Egypt. It comes amid dire warnings of an outbreak in one of the world's most densely populated areas where the health system is in peril
  
• Iraq imposes a total lockdown until Saturday as the number of cases and the death toll there grow
  
• Iran's president dismisses as "one of the biggest lies in history" a US offer to help it fight the virus, and urges Washington to lift sanctions instead
  

Italy tightens up restrictions

Two weeks since the government imposed a nationwide lockdown, the restrictions are tightening further.
A new decree from Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte closing down all businesses deemed non-essential is designed to reduce numbers of people mixing.
Around 100 categories of companies can stay open, ranging from food production to chemicals, energy to paper, car parts to the manufacturing of coffins.
Italians are also now banned from leaving their own town to travel within the country. And in the northern region of Lombardy, the country's worst hit, all outdoor exercise is prohibited.

New UK powers could be reviewed every six months

More now on the Coronavirus Bill which seeks to give the UK government new powers to enforce emergency measures.
The government will ask MPs to back the bill later.
However, it will introduced an amendment to ensure the powers must be renewed every six months, our assistant political editor Norman Smith reports.
Some MPs - including former cabinet minister David Davis - had expressed concern that the powers in the bill were so extensive that there should be some sort of time limit to the legislation.
The Coronavirus Bill will be debated in Parliament later. Read more about what it involves here.

Man fined $33,000 for breaking Taiwan quarantine

One man in Taiwan had a particularly expensive night out after authorities fined him $33,000 (£28,480) for violating his quarantine to go clubbing.  The man was supposed to be self-isolating at home for two weeks after returning from Southeast Asia, reported the Asia Times news site.
But he was caught partying in the capital, Taipei, on Sunday.
Officials called his behaviour “malicious” and charged him with the maximum fine possible.
“Those who are caught going out to places that have big crowds and are not well ventilated will be sent to a centralised epidemic prevention facility and fined NT$1 million,” New Taipei city mayor Hou Yu-ih said.
“I will not be soft-handed,” he added.
Taiwan has been praised for keeping its confirmed cases low, despite its proximity to China. It has reported 195 cases so far and two deaths.
But despite having contained the virus, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong are now facing a second coronavirus wave, fuelled by people entering their borders.
This has prompted Taiwan to ban foreigners from entering and making it mandatory for its nationals returning to the country to self-quarantine for 14 days.

A look at the latest in Europe

Europe is at the centre of the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some of the latest developments:

• Austria: The number of confirmed cases rose to 3,611 on Monday, the health ministry announced - jumping by 367 in a day
  
• France: At least 674 people have died of the virus in France, including a 67-year-old doctor on Sunday. The national parliament has passed a law declaring a two month health emergency
  
• Italy: Officials announced the deaths of 651 people in Italy, Europe's worst-hit country, on Sunday - a drop of about a fifth from the record 793 deaths the day before
  
• Netherlands: The government announced a ban on all flights from Spain for two weeks on Saturday, unless they are carrying Dutch nationals or medical supplies
  

UK rail users entitled to ticket refunds

Here's an update for rail users in the UK.
Reduced timetables across the country mean fewer services are operating from Monday. The move has been made because more people are working from home, and in order to free up tracks for freight trains to move products around the country.
The government has just announced that many ticket holders will be entitled to a refund.
Those with an advance ticket will be able to get a refund free of charge, while all season ticket holders can claim a refund "for time unused on their tickets free of administrative charges".
Ticket holders should contact their operator for details, the Department for Transport says.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the refunds were available "to ensure no-one is unfairly out of pocket for doing the right thing".

What is next for South Korea?

South Korea is at a critical juncture. Its strategy - an aggressive use of technology to trace the virus and the mass testing of all who’ve been in contact with the infection - appears to be working.
The aim is to re-open schools in two weeks. Meanwhile, spring has arrived and people are eager to enjoy themselves. The sense of solidarity that this is a battle to be won together is crumbling slightly.
The government is urgently reminding everyone to maintain social distance for the next 15 days. Officials are hoping their stark warnings will encourage people to stay in line.
Doctors, meanwhile, are discussing the next possible steps. The trace, test, treat approach will continue. But what happens when classrooms become infected? Do they isolate the entire school? Shut down all schools again?
The head of the National Medical Committee, Dr Oh Myoung-don, has told reporters that there could be another spike once schools re-open.
The paradox of South Korea’s success is that, having worked so hard to lower infection rates, their medics have to keep going.
It’s a bit like climbing a steep mountain without knowing how far the peak will be. The dire situation in Europe hangs over the country like a warning - that if they slip up just a bit, that could be their fate too.

Spain death toll tops 2,000

The death toll in Spain has reached 2,182, the government has announced, after 462 people passed away in the past 24 hours.

Moscow is bracing itself

"You might not like this, but it’s because we care." That’s how Moscow’s mayor, not known for his human touch, began an address to city residents, ordering the over-65s and anyone with serious health conditions to stay at home.
"My dear, older Muscovites… grannies and grandads," he began, telling them that from Thursday, they should only go to work if their role was absolutely vital and only go outside to the chemist's or to get food.
Sergei Sobyanin said the coronavirus pandemic was "raging" on Russia’s borders, although he still insisted the situation inside the country was "more or less calm" for now.
That kind of messaging has created some confusion, even complacency, in recent weeks.
But the number of confirmed cases is now increasing on a familiar trajectory and is highest in Russia’s capital, at 262.
So Moscow is bracing itself. The streets are far quieter; schools, galleries and gyms are all closed. Many people, including the elderly, have already moved to their dachas, or country houses, where they’re hoping to sit out this crisis.

European countries struggle to enforce social distancing

Over the weekend we saw people in the UK flouting official advice, travelling to tourist hot spots and crowded markets. But nations across Europe have also struggled to enforce tight new restrictions.
On Monday, officials in Belgium said Brussels police had issued 288 penalty fines in just 24 hours - the highest number since confinement rules came into force in the country. Those punished included couples eating in parks, people drinking beer outside cafes and bar owners refusing to shut up shop.
Authorities in France have issued thousands of fines, and have deployed drones to enforce the strict lockdown rules. Some charities last week even alleged police had fined homeless people for not self-isolating, although this is unconfirmed.
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on Sunday a ban on all gatherings of more than two people who aren't family. It came just days after police in the state of Bavaria shut down a number of public "corona parties", organised by young people on social media. Premier Markus Söder called the gatherings "a real threat".

'This is not a joke - London intensive care nurse

An intensive care nurse in a London hospital has warned people to stick to social distancing guidelines, after photos were posted online of busy parks in the capital.
The nurse, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC: "Most people will know, or are, a 60-year-old man with a heart condition. If that man gets coronavirus, statistically he's going to die. So think about that - do you want to lose your uncle, your dad, or your own life?
"Everyone will end up knowing someone who has either had it or even died from it. This is not a joke."
He also said that while nurses know their career is "going to be stressful" when they go into it, right now it's "a completely unknown entity".
"We can try our best, and we are. But the problem is that we don't know how bad it's going to get - so how can we really say we're prepared when we don't know the extent of the situation?"
If things in the UK get as bad as in Italy, he adds, "no healthcare system can prepare for that".

Fast food and coffee chains shutting across UK

Thousands of fast food restaurants are set to close across the UK on Monday.
On Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said restaurants and cafes must close on Friday, but exempted takeaway food and drink.
Among those to shut their doors to customers for both eat-in and takeaway are:

• Nando's has announced it has closed all of its restaurants, about 400 locations
  
• Sandwich shop Subway is to close its 1,700 franchises from 17:00 GMT
  
• McDonald's says it will close all 1,270 of its restaurants from 19:00 GMT
  
• Coffee chain Costa will shut its 2,000 shops by the end of Monday
  

Retailers have also been hit as the impact of new measures to tackle the coronavirus are rolled out.

• Laura Ashley is to permanently close 70 stores, affecting 721 jobs
  
• Primark's 189 UK stores have closed "until further notice"
  
• Other High Street retailers, such as John Lewis and Timpson, have already announced closures amid the pandemic
  

Global economy will suffer for years to come - OECD

The world will take years to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has warned.
Angel Gurría, OECD secretary general, said the economic shock was already bigger than the financial crisis. He told the BBC it was "wishful thinking" to believe that countries would bounce back quickly.
The OECD has called on governments to rip up spending rules to ensure speedy testing and treatment of the virus.

What is happening in Latin America?

Latin America is steeling itself. It's a region with pockets of extreme poverty, which are often concentrated in either densely packed urban areas or very remote regions.
So far, the numbers are small compared to other parts of the world, as it is at an earlier stage of the pandemic.
Brazil and Ecuador are the most affected in the region so far, with 25 and 14 deaths respectively.
Here are some of the latest announcements:

• Ecuador introduced a curfew at the weekend, keeping people off the streets from 19:00 to 05:00 local time
  
• Brazil's President Bolsonaro has been at odds with his country’s regional authorities, telling CNN Brasil he disagrees with their decision to close businesses. He called São Paulo Governor João Doria a “lunatic” for imposing a 15-day shutdown. One of the president’s major influencers, US-based former astrologer Olavo de Carvalho, has been criticised for broadcasting a message online saying the virus is a hoax and there has not been one death from it
  
• El Salvador has introduced a strict new curfew and is detaining those who don’t comply. The justice minister says 327 arrests were made
  

• up until 22:30 Sunday night.
  

• Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has ruled out any curfew or troop deployments, saying they would be too authoritarian. However, in Mexico City, the mayor is closing museums, gyms, bars, theatres and more, from Monday until 19 April. Shopping malls and restaurants will stay open, and gatherings are being limited to 50 people
  

What is happening with the Olympics?

This year's Olympics Games have been thrown into doubt because of the coronavirus pandemic, with athletes and officials calling for a decision about Tokyo 2020 to be made quickly by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Here are some of the most significant developments:

• Canada became the first major nation to withdraw from the Games
  
• Australia's team says it is "clear" the Games cannot go ahead
  
• Poland has also called for the event to be moved because of "increasingly limited training options" for athletes
  

• World Athletics president Lord Coe says the Games must be postponed because they cannot be held "at all costs" and the move is "owed" to the athletes
  
• Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has admitted for the first time that the Games could be postponed
  

The IOC has given itself four weeks to decide on the future of the event.
Options include a delay of several months or - more probably - a year. The IOC says cancellation is "not on the agenda". A "scaled-down" Games will also be considered.
The Olympics are scheduled start in Tokyo on 24 July.

'Mask-19' campaign for abuse victims

Millions of people around the world are being asked to stay home amid the coronavirus outbreak - but for many home isn't a safe place.
In Spain's Canary Islands, the authorities have launched a campaign to help victims of domestic abuse. Women in danger can go to a pharmacy and say the words Mascarilla-19, or Mask-19 in English, to alert staff that they need
Social media users have praised the scheme, and other local governments across the country have said they want to copy it.
In the last few years Spain has seen a number of high-profile cases of both domestic and sexual abuse, prompting mass protests.
help.

F1 postpones Azerbaijan Grand Prix

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is the latest Formula 1 race to be postponed. The street race in Azerbaijan's capital Baku was set to take place on 7 June.
It is the eighth race to be called off at the start of the 2020 World Championship season. The Canadian Grand Prix, on 14 June, is the first race on the schedule that has not been postponed.

India grounds all domestic flights

India’s government has said no domestic flights will take off from the early hours of Wednesday onwards.
This will bring Indian airports to a standstill as international flights to India have already been cancelled.
The ban on flights coming from abroad came into effect on Sunday and is set to last for one week, but it could be extended.
It’s unclear as yet how long domestic air travel will remain suspended.
Trains across the country have also been cancelled, and several states have shut their borders, severely limiting people’s ability to travel within the country.
The unprecedented measures come as the number of active Covid-19 cases in India reaches 415. Seven deaths have been reported so far.

Austria probes ski resort

Ischgl, a ski resort in Austria's Tyrol province, has been linked with hundreds of cases of coronavirus. Now Tyrol's government has asked state prosecutors to investigate whether a business at the resort failed to tell authorities about an infection at the end of February.
Austrian, German and Scandinavian health officials have all traced cases back to the tiny town, but it only shut for business last week.

Germany's infection curve may be flattening - health chief

There are signs Germany's infection curve - reflecting rise in the number of cases - may be becoming less steep, according to the head of the country’s public health institute.
"We are seeing signs that the exponential growth curve is flattening off slightly," Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for disease control, told reporters.
"But I will only be able to confirm this trend definitively on Wednesday. But I am optimistic that the measures are already having an effect, which is very early because they have only been in place for a week."
Efforts to reduce the spread of the virus in the country have included school closures, hygiene measures such as hand-washing and restrictions on public gatherings.
The RKI reported earlier on Monday that the country now had 22,672 cases of Covid-19 - an increase of 4,062 on the previous day - and that 86 people had died so far.

Jerusalem holy site shuts down

The doors are bolted shut at the compound that hosts al-Aqsa mosque and Jerusalem’s iconic Dome of the Rock.
At midday on Monday, two Muslim worshippers unrolled their prayer mats at one of the closed entrances to the plaza, and prayed on cobbled steps outside.
The holy site in Jerusalem’s Old City is known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount, and is sacred to both religions.
Worshippers had been unable to enter the mosque itself for days, with prayer allowed only outside on the plaza as part of social distancing measures to counter coronavirus.
But on Sunday night the Waqf, the Islamic religious authority that administers the site, said Muslim worship would be suspended at all parts of the compound.
"We feel bitter at having to take this step but we were compelled to do so in order protect the lives and health of the public and to safeguard humanity, in compliance with the religious rulings in the Islamic world," the council said.
Israeli media reported that entry by Jewish visitors to the contested site would also be halted.
The compound is frequently at the centre of Jerusalem’s crackling tensions and is administered according to a status quo agreement involving Israel, neighbouring Jordan and the Waqf.
Under normal circumstances, any changes concerning access to the site can be politically explosive but the region has witnessed broad acceptance so far of measures to contain the virus' spread.

How are British supermarkets responding to panic-buying?

Empty shelves have been a common sight across British supermarkets of late.
With people being encouraged to stay indoors, many shoppers have looked to stock up - leading to some items temporarily running out of popular items.
Shoppers have been told to "be responsible" and think of others such as NHS workers, such as critical care nurse Dawn Bilbrough, from York, who posted the video. .
But the supermarkets have been taking action, such as:

• Setting limits on how many of each item people can buy
  
• Setting aside 'silver hours' most mornings for the most vulnerable shoppers
  
• Creating an "NHS hour' dedicated to healthcare workers
  
• Putting aside a proportion of basic items of NHS staff
  
• Giving NHS staff priority at checkouts
  
• Relaxing rules around drivers' hours have been eased
  
• Waiving the 5p plastic bag charge for online orders, to speed up deliveries
  

In addition, rules have also been relaxed to allow supermarkets to share resources, such delivery vans and staff, and to co-ordinate stock levels across the UK.
And as demand for online orders grows, many of the biggest supermarkets have said they are hiring thousands of staff.
Read more about how the way Britons shop has changed here.

Former Man Utd players explain help to NHS staff

Former Manchester United footballers Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville believe the two hotels where they have invited NHS staff to stay for free during the coronavirus crisis will be full within the "next week or 10 days".
Their GG Hospitality group owns the Stock Exchange Hotel in Manchester city centre and Hotel Football, which is close to United's Old Trafford stadium. Thirty-five medical professionals have already used the accommodation.
"The Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust has a contact point and any NHS worker who needs accommodation, whether at 02:00 or 10:00, can contact them and they message our staff at the hotel," Neville told the BBC. "This member of the medical professional will be given access to a room."

23rd March continued ... (Part 2)

US stimulus bill blocked amid political division

The US Senate failed to pass a massive coronavirus aid package after Senate Democrats voted en masse to deny Republicans the necessary support.
The party-line vote poses a major setback to the bill after days of breakneck negotiations between lawmakers and the Trump administration, racing to pass the emergency measure.
Expected to cost upwards of $1.8 trillion (£1.5 trillion) it would be the largest economic stimulus package in the country’s history.
Democrats cited several concerns with the proposed legislation - including what they call a $500bn "corporate slush fund" - a loan programme controlled entirely by the Trump administration's treasury department. But they now risk major political backlash for appearing to obstruct a much-needed economic boost.
Republicans quickly ripped into Democrats, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell accusing the lawmakers of creating a "spectacle" and of "playing games" with the economy.
But senators and officials say they still hope to reach a compromise. "We’re closer than we’ve ever been at any time over the past 48 hours to an agreement," said top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer.
As of yet, any Senate bill will have at least three absent Republicans: Kentucky’s Rand Paul and both senators for Utah, Mitt Romney and Mike Lee. Mr Paul has tested positive for Covid-19 and both Mr Romney and Mr Lee are in self-quarantine after recent contact with their fellow senator.

How and why scientists hope to track coronavirus

James Gallagher - Health and science correspondent, BBC News
Scientists are to track the spread of the coronavirus in the UK by using clues in its genetic code - the blueprint for building a virus.
Analysing samples collected from patients will also reveal whether the virus is mutating into new strains.
Sequencing the coronavirus's genetic code from different patients allows researchers to build up a picture of how the virus is spreading.
For example, a group of patients with nearly identical coronaviruses infecting them may all be part of the same cluster.
The same techniques, used at a hospital in Cambridge, were able to identify the source of an outbreak of the superbug MRSA.
Read more from James here.

Global hotel chains temporarily lay off staff

Some of the world's biggest hotel operators are temporarily laying off tens of thousands of workers as they deal with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
Marriott International, which is the world’s largest hotel company, told the BBC: "We are adjusting global operations accordingly which has meant either reduction in hours or a temporary leave for many of our associates at our properties."
Hilton Worldwide and Hyatt Hotels have also said that they are halting work in parts of their businesses.
In a statement, Hyatt told the BBC: "A number of Hyatt hotels have had to temporarily suspend operations mainly due to governmental guidelines to support social distancing and due to actions taken by our corporate customers."

Doctor calls for more restrictions on movement in UK

As the UK government urges the public to follow advice on social distancing, some doctors are calling for more stringent measures.
Helen Ward, a professor of public health at Imperial College London, is one of a group of doctors who wrote to the Times newspaper on Saturday to warn the UK is "losing a very small window of opportunity to minimise the disease burden from Covid-19 and prevent a health system collapse".
She has told BBC Radio 4's the World at One programme that hospitals in some parts of the country like London are already filling up.
“We have to stop the pressure on the NHS... the best way to do that is to have a national lockdown," she said.
"We have to stop this non-essential travel and business and we have to enforce social distancing.
“If we don’t have these stringent measures now we will continue to see a steady growth in the number of cases."

Tunisian army deployed to enforce lockdown

In Tunisia, the army has been deployed on the streets to ensure people are respecting the lockdown put in place on Sunday. It requires people to stay at home except to buy necessities.
The country has reported 89 confirmed cases of the virus and three deaths.

Denmark extends nationwide lockdown

Denmark's prime minister has just announced that a nationwide lockdown will be extended until 13 April.
The lockdown has closed schools and restaurants in the country and kept most public sector workers at home.
In a press conference, PM Mette Frederiksen said the extended lockdown would mean schools, bars, libraries, gyms, hairdressers and other services would remain closed for another two weeks.
The country has reported more than 1,300 coronavirus cases and 13 deaths so far, according to the World Health Organization.
It is just one of many countries around the world to order lockdowns in a bid to tackle the virus. You can find out how such measures are being enforced by clicking here.

Ethiopia closes borders as cases rise

Ethiopia has introduced strict measures, including closing its borders, as the number of confirmed cases rises to 11.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that from Monday, the nation's defence forces would halt all movement along Ethiopia's borders except for goods coming in.
Security forces are also going to enforce a ban on large gatherings that's already in place.
The PM also said the government would allocate 5bn Birr ($150m; £129m) towards trying to halt the spread of the disease.

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Loss of smell and taste - new symptoms?

There have been increasing numbers of people reporting a lost sense of smell and taste on social media.
Some have tested positive for the new coronavirus, while others who haven’t had a test wonder if the symptoms could be another common sign of it.
Ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists in the UK have also noticed the rising reports of anosmia - the term for loss of smell - amid the pandemic.
It's no surprise that this would happen - viruses behind the common cold often cause us to lose our sense of smell and/or taste too.
But the specialists say it should be added to the list of symptoms for triggering self-isolation - especially in the absence of any other symptoms.
The move could “reduce the number of otherwise asymptomatic individuals who continue to act as vectors, not realising the need to self-isolate”, says the doctors’ body ENT UK.
The American Academy of Otolaryngology agrees that the symptoms should alert doctors to screen patients for the virus.
And with ear, nose and throat surgeons currently experiencing higher rates of infection compared to other healthcare workers, there could be a link.
In Germany, specialists note that more than two-thirds of coronavirus cases experienced anosmia.
In South Korea, 30% of patients who tested positive said a lost sense of smell was their main symptom if their other symptoms were only mild.
However, the evidence at present is all anecdotal and has not been confirmed by research.
The main symptoms of coronavirus continue to be a high temperature and a new, continuous cough, which means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours.

No dog-walking in Argentina

Just a few weeks ago, the BBC World Service produced this video (above) about professional dog walkers in Buenos Aires. You normally see them all around the city, often wrangling multiple leads and they are vital to many workers with limited outside space.
It has all changed since then.
Now, their work is forbidden; you can’t even walk your own dog. The whole of Argentina is under strict lockdown and people have been told they can only take their dogs outside to “do their business”.
Those who disobey face detention. Buenos Aires’ Justice Secretary Marcelo D'Alessandro said 564 people had been detained in the city up until Monday. Nationwide, the number is close to 5,000, according to figures from the previous day.
Mr D'Alessandro told local station Radio La Red they were also stopping drivers en route to beach towns to question them. One driver insisted he was going to look after his mother, but two surfboards on the roof aroused suspicion.

EU tries to keep goods flowing

Europe's Schengen area is the largest border-free zone in the world, but efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus have caused serious disruption.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced so-called "green lane" measures to make sure goods keep flowing throughout the whole of the single market.
"The measures introduced to slow down the spread of virus have also slowed down and sometimes paralysed transport," she said in a video posted on Twitter.
"The priority is now to ensure that the main axes of our traffic in the EU are unblocked."
The commission president announced a four-point plan. Border crossings should take no more than 15 minutes, green lanes are open to all forms of goods, member states should relax regulations on drivers, and there should be less paperwork for transport workers.
"The fight against the virus will take a long time," she said. "The strength and the means to win that fight will come from our great single market."

British bus operators announce reduced timetables

British bus operators have been announcing reduced timetables, in response to the government's measure's to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Operators in north-east England and Scotland have said they will reduce services from Monday, while there will be fewer services in the West Midlands from Wednesday.  It follows similar commitments from other operators.
It comes as many people across the country begin to work from home in order to reduce the chances of spreading the virus.  The government has told BBC News it is working with bus operators and "urgently looking at ways to support the industry".
Meanwhile, new rail timetables began across the UK on Monday. Many passengers affected have been told they are entitled to refunds.

Coronavirus pandemic 'accelerating': WHO chief

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) says the coronavirus pandemic is "accelerating".
Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “It took 67 days from the first reported case to reach 100,000 cases, 11 days for the second 100,000 cases, and just four days for the third 100,000 cases.”
He said he would address G20 heads of state and government this week to ask them to work together to boost production of protective gear.

UK Parliament debates emergency powers bill

In the House of Commons, MPs have started debating a new law to give emergency powers to the UK government to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.
Among other powers, the bill would allow officials to shut airports and detain people on public health grounds, while immigration officials could place people in isolation.
The powers were due to last two years - but after some opposition MPs voiced concern, the government has agreed to amend the bill so they have to be renewed every six months.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the bill contains powers "never seen before in peacetime," but they are "proportionate to the threat we face".

Updates from PM Boris Johnson later than usual

Over the past week, the UK’s prime minister has been holding daily press conferences, normally held around 17:00 GMT.
But the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg says Boris Johnson will be chairing his daily emergency meeting to address the crisis at that time.
She says we are expecting to hear more from the PM later this evening though, so stay tuned for more updates.

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UK coronavirus death toll rises to 335

A further 46 people in England who tested positive for Covid-19 have died, NHS England has said.The patients were aged between 47 and 105 years old and all had underlying health conditions.
This brings the total UK death toll to 335, with four deaths announced in both Scotland and Wales earlier on Monday.

New York governor orders hospitals to expand capacity

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he will issue an order demanding state hospitals increase their capacity by at least 50%.
There are at least 20,875 confirmed cases in New York state - making up almost 6% of cases worldwide.
Mr Cuomo echoed concerns from officials throughout the country about states competing against each other for supplies amid widespread shortages.
“I’m bidding up other states,” he said. “California offers them $4, I offer $5, another state calls in and offers $6. It’s not the way to do it.”
The governor said he had spoken to Illinois Governor Jay Pritzker, who has also expressed anxiety about the state-by-state bidding war for desperately needed supplies, such as masks and ventilators.
Governor Cuomo said he had made progress in securing hundreds of thousands of items equipment - including masks, gloves and gowns.
“Today we can get masks to everyone who needs them,” he said.
His announcement follows continued warnings from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio about his city’s dire need for medical supplies.
“If we don’t get the equipment, we’re literally going to lose lives,” he said.
So far, New York has tested more than 78,000 people, Mr Cuomo said - more testing per capita than South Korea, which has been heralded for its efficient response.

More than 7,500 retired NHS workers volunteer to return

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock says a total of 7,563 retired clinicians have answered the government's call to return to work in the NHS.
The emergency bill currently being debated by MPs gives powers to re-register workers such as nurses, midwives, paramedics and social workers.
"I want to pay tribute to every single one of them," Mr Hancock said.

Italy death toll continues to fall

Italy has reported another 602 deaths from coronavirus, Reuters news agency says. That brings the total death toll up to 6,078 - but it means that the daily number of deaths has fallen for the second day in a row, down from 651 on Sunday.
Crucially, our Rome correspondent Mark Lowen says, the rise in new infections has slowed again, from 9 to 8.1%.

'Mad' increase in demand for hens

With eggs hard to come by in UK supermarkets, poultry breeders and suppliers are seeing a huge increase in demand for hens.
Suzie Baldwin of Hollywater Hens in Hampshire says the industry has “gone mad” this month.
She has had to limit customers to three chickens each, having had people requesting up to 20 birds.
While she has refused to sell to people without the proper set up, she is concerned about what happens to all the animals when those buying them return to work once restrictions are lifted.
Howard Dobson of Poultry Paddock in Staffordshire says he sold a month’s supply of laying hens within 24 hours on Friday, a surge he puts down to people wanting a pastime while self-isolating, as well the lack of eggs in shops.
He also has had enquiries from people wanting to rear their own chickens for meat, which he says is “quite unusual”.
Liz Andreozzi of Sussex Garden Poultry says her phone has not stopped ringing, despite having sold out of her month’s supply last week.
She too is “hugely concerned” about the hens’ welfare and is now looking to put in place social-distancing measures to keep herself and customers safe for any future sales.

'All British travellers should return home now'

The UK's foreign secretary is calling for all British travellers to return home now while transport allows.
Last week, Dominic Raab changed travel advice for the UK to warn against all but essential travel globally for 30 days.
But in a new statement, he warns the pace at which borders are closing, airlines are suspending flights and exit bans are being enforced, there is no time to lose.
Mr Raab says: "If you are on holiday abroad the time to come home is now while you still can.”

23rd March - (Part 3)


Boris Johnson's address to the nation

PM: No health service could cope without national effort

Speaking to the nation, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the coronavirus is "the biggest threat this country has faced for decades".
He says "without a huge national effort" there will come a time when "no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses".
"To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it - meaning more people are likely to die, not just from coronavirus but from other illnesses as well."

PM: The time has come to do more

Mr Johnson says it is "vital" to slow the spread of the virus, to "reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment at any one time, so we can protect the NHS’s ability to cope - and save more lives".
"And that’s why we have been asking people to stay at home during this pandemic," he says.
"And though huge numbers are complying – and I thank you all - the time has now come for us all to do more."

'Stay at home from this evening'

"From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction - you must stay at home," says Mr Johnson, speaking to the UK.
"Because the critical thing we must do is stop the disease spreading between households."
He says that is why people will only be able to leave home for very limited purposes.

Restrictions placed on when people can leave home

Boris Johnson has just announced a raft of restrictions people in the UK are being urged to follow.
From tonight, people will be allowed to leave their homes for:

• shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible
  
• one form of exercise a day - for example a run, walk, or cycle, alone or with members of their household;
  
• any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person;
  
• travelling to and from work, but only where it is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home
  

This is not a lockdown, but it's as close as you can get to one without it being called a lockdown.

PM: Police will have power to enforce rules

Boris Johnson says people should not be meeting their friends - and if they are asked to meet up, they should say no.
People should not meet family members outside their home, he says, or go shopping for anything except for essentials like food or medicine.
"If you don’t follow the rules the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings," he adds.

PM: No gatherings of more than two people

Mr Johnson says the government will immediately:

• close all shops selling non-essential goods,​ including clothing and electronic stores - as well as other premises like libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship
  
• stop all gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with
  
• stop all social events​, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but allow funerals
  

Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed, he says.

UK restrictions for at least three weeks

"No prime minister wants to enact measures like this," says Mr Johnson.
"I know the damage that this disruption is doing and will do to people’s lives, to their businesses and to their jobs.
"And that’s why we have produced a huge and unprecedented programme of support both for workers and for business."
He adds: "And I can assure you that we will keep these restrictions under constant review. We will look again in three weeks and relax them if the evidence shows we are able to.
"But at present there are just no easy options. The way ahead is hard, and it is still true that many lives will sadly be lost."
From tonight, people will be allowed to leave their homes for:

• shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible
  
• one form of exercise a day - for example a run, walk, or cycle, alone or with members of their household;
  
• any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person;
  
• travelling to and from work, but only where it is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home
  

Johnson: We will come through this stronger than ever

Mr Johnson says there is a "clear way through", saying 7,500 former clinicians are now coming back to the NHS.
"With the time you buy – by simply staying at home - we are increasing our stocks of equipment," he says.
He says the government is buying millions of testing kits.
"I want to thank everyone who is working flat out to beat the virus," he says. "Everyone from the supermarket staff, to the transport workers, to the carers, to the nurses and doctors on the front line."
But he says that "each and every one of us is now obliged to join together".
Mr Johnson finishes his speech by saying he knows that, as they have done in the past, "the people of this country will rise to that challenge".
"And we will come through it stronger than ever. We will beat the coronavirus and we will beat it together.
"And therefore I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives."

What was just announced?

If you’re just joining us, UK PM Boris Johnson has just announced a major ramping up of coronavirus measures.
Here are the major points of his speech:

• From tonight, people in Britain will be allowed to leave their homes for only “very limited purposes” - shopping for basic necessities; for one form of exercise a day; for any medical need; and to travel to and from work when “absolutely necessary”
  
• People are warned not to meet friends or family members who they do not live with
  
• Shopping is only permitted for essentials like food and medicine, and people are advised to do it “as little as you can”
  
• Police have powers to enforce the rules, including through fines and dispersing gatherings
  
• All shops selling non-essential goods, such as clothing and electronic stores, are ordered to close
  
• Libraries, playgrounds, outdoor gyms and places of worship are to close
  
• All gatherings of more than two people in public - excluding people you live with - are banned
  
• All social events, including weddings and baptisms are banned
  
• Funerals are not included in the new restrictions
  
• Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed
  
• Restrictions “under constant review” and will be checked again in three weeks. They will be relaxed “if the evidence shows we are able to”
  

What led to this announcement?

Nick Triggle - Health Correspondent
Ministers and officials have become concerned about reports of people failing to observe the advice about social distancing.
The sunny weather at the weekend led to people flocking to parks and other outdoor places to enjoy the start of spring, while images of commuters packed on to trains have also raised alarm.
The figures show the number of positive cases are beginning to rise quickly and there is a desire - now we have gone down this route - that the gains from reducing social contact are maximised.
If we halve exposure, new infections could fall by more than 95%. Scientists currently believe that each person with coronavirus infects 2.5 people and that takes about five days. Thirty days after that first infection, that means more than 400 people will be infected.
But if we all reduce our exposure by half, after 30 days, that first infection would have led to only 15 infections.

Police hoping to enforce measures 'by persuasion'

Daniel Sandford - Home Affairs Correspondent
Senior police officers are reluctant to get involved in continental-style enforcement, they want to police by consent.
They will have the power to fine but they are hoping to do this by persuasion.
This is not a revenue-raising exercise, it's about trying to make sure those shops are shut and gatherings don't take place.
The police are also expecting to lose a lot of their officers due to illness or family illness over the coming weeks.

'Government had to act now'

Vicki Young - Chief Political Correspondent
This is not an address that Boris Johnson or any UK prime minister would ever think they'd have to make.
He has been reluctant to bring in these measures but he's said he thinks that the UK, particularly London, is maybe two weeks behind Italy and we've seen the increase in deaths there.
There's a view that people haven't been taking the advice as seriously as hoped - we saw that in the pictures from tourist destinations like Snowdonia over the weekend.
There was a real concern in Downing Street that they had to act now.
It seems incredible to think there could be any more measures than this but if you look at other European countries there are curfews, parks have been closed and people need paperwork to leave their houses.

Restrictions follow crowds over weekend

The new restrictions announced by the prime minister come after warnings on Sunday that the UK might go further in enforcing social distancing measures.
"If you don't do it responsibly...we will have to bring forward further measures," Boris Johnson said.
It comes after pictures showed people across parts of the UK visiting parks and open spaces in large numbers over the weekend.

Watch: 'You must stay at home'

The big news here in the UK tonight is Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement of tough new restrictions for the country, in place for at least three weeks from this evening.
[Well, the link to the video didn't work properly here, so I've deleted it]

Restrictions 'unthinkable at the start of outbreak'

It was "unthinkable" when the virus first emerged in China that we would now be in this situation, the BBC's medical correspondent Fergus Walsh says.
But there was a turning point last Monday when analysis showed that unless we switched to total suppression we’d be faced with massive loss of life.
It looks like we're about two weeks behind Italy.
“Italy reached 233 deaths on 7 March, 15 days after the first death. On 21 March, the UK reached the same total, 14 days behind Italy," our correspondent said.
“Avoid all unnecessary contact... It really can bear down on the virus immensely."

Measures still fall short of Europe's

Chris Morris - BBC Reality Check
The direction of travel is clear, but the restrictions announced by the UK prime minister still fall short of the measures in place in many European countries, where most people can’t now leave their houses without a special permit.
In Italy and Spain even outdoor exercise is banned. Thousands of people who break the rules have already been hit with fines, and in some countries prison sentences can be imposed.

What are restrictions like in other countries?

As Chris Morris mentioned in that previous post, what we'll soon see in the UK is very different to what's happening elsewhere.
In the UK, residents are now only allowed to leave their homes for “very limited purposes” like shopping for necessities. Police can enforce these rules through fines, and social events are now off the table.
Here’s how that compares with other nations:

• Italy has slowed down industrial production and forced nearly all private or public offices to shut. Lombardy, one of the most severely affected regions, has also imposed restrictions on outdoor exercise and dog walking distance-limits
  

• France has toughened its lockdown rules, raising fines for people caught outside without a legal reason, and putting limits on taking exercise and outdoor markets. The minimum fine is 135 euros, with a max of 1,500 euros for repeat offenders
  

• China has most recently diverted all international flights destined for Beijing to other cities to screen passengers. During its most stringent restriction phase, movement in and out of the epicenter, Wuhan, and other cities was completely halted and residents were told to stay at home. Some regional lockdowns are still in place
  

• Spain has restricted its borders and imposed a nationwide lockdown which it is working to extend until 11 April. Hotels must close this week. Residents found outside without proof of identification and justification (like a grocery bill) can be fined
  

• India has imposed regional lockdowns affecting millions of people in its over 70 cities and districts, including capital New Delhi and Mumbai. A temporary curfew - 07:00 to 21:00 - was tested out on Sunday. Travel and transport in these areas have been restricted until the end of the month. People must work from home unless they are in an essential field like healthcare. Train services across the country have also been halted.
  

Three numbers that tell a terrifying story

James Gallagher - Health and science correspondent, BBC News
It took:

• 67 days from the first reported case of coronavirus to reach the first 100,000 cases
  
• 11 days for the second 100,000 cases
  
• Just four days for the third 100,000 cases
  

The new restrictions in detail

In case you’re just joining us, Britain's prime minister Boris Johnson has announced a major ramping up of coronavirus measures that will affect every single one of us living in the UK.
Here are the major points of his speech:

• From tonight, people in Britain will be allowed to leave their homes for only “very limited purposes” - shopping for basic necessities; for one form of exercise a day; for any medical need; and to travel to and from work when “absolutely necessary”
  
• People are warned not to meet friends or family members who they do not live with
  
• Shopping is only permitted for essentials like food and medicine, and people are advised to do it “as little as you can”
  
• Police have powers to enforce the rules, including through fines and dispersing gatherings
  
• All shops selling non-essential goods, such as clothing and electronic stores, are ordered to close
  
• Libraries, playgrounds, outdoor gyms and places of worship are to close
  
• All gatherings of more than two people in public - excluding people you live with - are banned
  
• All social events, including weddings and baptisms are banned
  
• Funerals are not included in the new restrictions
  
• Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed
  
• Restrictions “under constant review” and will be checked again in three weeks. They will be relaxed “if the evidence shows we are able to”
  

You can read the full government guidance here.

'There are similarities between Italy and UK'

Fergus Walsh - Medical correspondent
Each country has its own unique epidemic but there are some striking similarities between Italy and UK in the early stages of their outbreaks.
The UK reached 233 deaths exactly two weeks after Italy recorded the same number.
These new measures can have a stark effect - social distancing and household isolation will save lives.

Analysis: UK takes massive decision

Laura Kuenssberg - BBC political editor
It seems hard to overstate how huge an impact this will have on the country, and what a massive decision this is for the government to have taken.
Remember this though, is not quite the kind of total crackdown we have seen in other countries - at least not yet.
Despite tonight's enormous announcement, there are steps that other places have taken - curfews or total travel bans for example - that the UK is not pursuing.

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Trump signs order to stop hoarding

The US president says he signed an executive order to prevent hoarding and price gauging of supplies needed to fight the coronavirus.
"We will not allow anyone to exploit the suffering of American citizens for their profit," he says.

Elderly 'dead and abandoned' in Spanish care homes

Soldiers tackling Spain's coronavirus epidemic by disinfecting residential care homes have found a number of elderly people abandoned and left for dead in their beds, the country's defence minister has said.
The news comes as Spain's death toll from the disease rose from 1,720 on Sunday to 2,182. The total number of confirmed cases has increased to 33,089.
"The army has seen some totally abandoned elderly people – even some who were dead in their beds,” Margarita Robles told the Ana Rosa TV programme.
Those responsible would be met with "the full weight of the law", the minister added.

Summary for 24th March

•    The UK is waking up to new, stricter measures announced by PM Boris Johnson
  
•    Donald Trump insists the US will "soon be open for business", as more states shut down
  
•    China announces 78 new cases - 74 of them from abroad
  
•    Wuhan - the city where the virus emerged - is to partially lift its lockdown next month
  
•    The most populous country without a case until now - Myanmar - announces two cases
  
•    Senegal and Ivory Coast declare states of emergency
  
•    Hundreds of UK citizens stranded in New Zealand come together to ask for help
  
•    A passenger on a cruise ship which docked in Sydney last Thursday has died
  

For those waking up in the UK, here are the main points from Boris Johnson's speech last night:
People in the UK have to stay at home, except for: shopping for basic needs; exercising a maximum of once a day; travelling to and from work which cannot be done at home; any medical need
Non-essential shops and public places must close - this does not include parks, but does include playgrounds and other "communal spaces" within them
All public gatherings of two or more people are banned - except when essential for work, or when those people live together (eg a family with children going to the shop)
The government's full list of restrictions is available here.

What's happening in the rest of the world

• China announces 78 new cases - 74 of them from abroad
  
• Talks between Japanese PM and the International Olympic Committee expected this evening
  
• The most populous country without a case until now - Myanmar - announces two cases
  
• Hundreds of UK citizens stranded in New Zealand come together to ask for help
  
• No deal yet on US $2 trillion stimulus package
  
• A passenger on a cruise ship which docked in Sydney last Thursday has died
  

Boeing shuts down in Seattle

Boeing is temporarily halting production at its Washington state jetliner factory to help fight the spread of the coronavirus.
The planemaker said it will shut facilities across Seattle’s Puget Sound region for 14 days from Wednesday.
During that time it will carry out a deep clean of its buildings and equipment.
Washington is one of the US states hit hardest by the outbreak.

Senegal and Ivory Coast declare emergency

Senegal and Ivory Coast have declared states of emergency over the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Senegalese President Macky Sall said the state of emergency would start on Tuesday midnight, accompanied by a curfew from 8:00pm to 6:00am local time (20:00GMT to 06:00GMT).
The military and police have been ordered to execute the measures.
The announcement was made in an address to the nation on Tuesday in which Mr Sall acknowledged that the country was struggling to contain the spread of the virus.
Senegal has 79 confirmed cases of Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by coronavirus, including eight people who have recovered.
In Ivory Coast, President Alassane Ouattara said the government would introduce gradual confinement measures and a curfew from 9:00pm to 5:00am local time (21:00GMT to 09:00GMT) from Tuesday.

China looks to repair its reputation

China considers itself to be - very nearly - a "post corona" country.
In the last week we’ve heard Wuhan medics warning the UK and others that they need to do more to protect frontline health workers, citing the mistakes they made early on when some treated patients without wearing proper protective clothing.
But there’s also been reporting in state media of the reported death toll in Italy surpassing that in China. This has been combined with some commentary from prominent media figures that has appeared distasteful, almost triumphalist.
At the same time there is a panic about the threat of a second wave from imported cases; travellers arriving from abroad. This has fuelled the view - right or wrong - that some other countries aren’t taking the threat seriously because they aren’t doing what China did. (Almost all the cases in Beijing that have been made public are of Chinese nationals returning home).
Meanwhile, well away from senior leaders, there are some high profile diplomatic figures using international-facing social media to spread theories that the US may have weaponised and dumped the virus in China. Or that Italy had cases that may have been Covid-19 earlier than China. China is sowing seeds of doubt and questioning assumed truths as it looks to repair its reputation, already.

Wuhan to lift lockdown in April

After more than two months, the lockdown in Wuhan - the city where the virus emerged - will be lifted on 8 April, says state media.
Other parts of Hubei province, where Wuhan is the capital, will lift travel curbs on 25 March, said China Daily.

Philippines: Few tests but many infections?

Howard Johnson - Philippines Correspondent, BBC News
I write this post from an apartment block overlooking an eerily quiet Metro Manila.
The only thing that breaks the silence of this city under lockdown is the wail of ambulance sirens.
Today the Philippine Department of Health (DoH) say the country’s total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases stands at 501, with 33 recorded deaths and 19 recoveries.
But according to the DoH’s Covid-19 tracker, in this country of 100+ million, to date only 1,622 tests have been completed.
Compare that to South Korea, with a population roughly half the size of the Philippines.
Health workers there have conducted around 350,000 tests and have recorded just over 9,000 cases and 120 deaths.
That’s led health experts here to warn that the likely total of Covid-19 cases is the Philippines is likely to be far higher.
The DoH say that with donations of test kits from abroad and more testing centres now operational, it will have an average testing capacity of 1,000 cases a day.
Last night the Philippine Congress granted President Rodrigo Duterte special powers to direct operations at private hospitals and redirect government budget funds to tackle the public health emergency.
The country’s main island of Luzon is already under "enhanced quarantine measures" which will enforced by the police and army until 12 April.

What's the latest from South Asia?

Here’s a quick wrap-up from South Asia where countries are beginning to impose tough measures.

• Pakistan has the highest number of cases in the region – with 878 as of Monday evening. The government has announced sweeping restrictions although it has stopped short of imposing a nationwide lockdown. However, several provinces have announced them independently. The army is being brought in to help enforce the restrictions.
  
• Almost all of India is under lockdown - 30 states and union territories have now announced a complete lockdown in 548 districts. State borders have been closed, which means interstate buses, trains and other forms of public transport have been suspended. On Monday evening, the country’s civil aviation body announced domestic flights would also be suspended.
  
• Bangladesh has reported 33 cases of the infection and three deaths, although there are concerns that the real number of cases could be much higher. The government has announced that all public and private offices will be shut from 26 March.
  
• Nepal shut its borders on Monday until 15 April, refusing entry to even its own citizens.This caused chaos at land borders, with people clamouring to be let in.
  
• A nationwide curfew in Sri Lanka that was meant to end on Monday evening was extended until Thursday as the number of cases went up to 100. Police have been arresting those caught violating the curfew.
  

NZ extends domestic travel deadline

Some good news for New Zealanders who are still trying to get home.
Authorities have extended the deadline for domestic travel, so people needing to take domestic flights, trains and ferries will now be able to do so until midnight on Friday.
The government had originally set the deadline as midnight on Wednesday for non-essential workers.
Some Kiwis had originally expressed fears that they wouldn't be able to get home by the original cut-off date.
"We are 900km away from home - 48 hours is not enough time to get back home when you are towing a caravan," one family told Newshub.

Which businesses are staying open?

Many in the UK are waking up to a strange new world. Non-essential shops have been told to shut and shopping trips should be kept as infrequent as possible.
But which businesses can stay open?

• Restaurants, cafes and work canteens - but only for food delivery and takeaway services
  
• Supermarkets and other premises selling food, including market stalls
  
• "Health shops" such as pharmacies
  
• Corner shops, newsagents, pet shops and post offices
  
• Banks
  

Read a full list from the government here

Almost 5,000 new cases in a day in Germany

The number of confirmed cases in Germany has risen by 4,764 in a day to reach to 27,436, the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases said on Tuesday.
A total of 114 people have died, an increase of 28 from the total published on Monday.

What can the UK police do?

Police officers will be given powers to enforce the new rules - including being able to force people with virus symptoms to isolate.
They'll also be able to fine people who don't follow the rules and be able to disperse gatherings (public meetings of more than two people are banned)
Home Secretary Priti Patel said the next few weeks would be "testing" for police but that she would make sure they had the resources "they need to keep themselves and the public safe"

Few options for backpackers stranded in Australia

The advice to Brits in Australia is to get on a plane if you can. But the reality is there just aren't many seats left.
We've been by told by the British High Commission that Qantas flights from Perth to London will continue until Friday.
Qatar Airways is also operating - although appears only to have business class seats available, well out of the reach of many of the backpackers we’ve met here.
Ash and Harry, pictured above, are among the many wondering what to do next. Their work has gone and they are living in a hostel.
They say they bought a ticket home with Etihad, but that flight has been cancelled. They've been given credit for a future flight - not a refund - and so they have no way to buy an alternative ticket, even if one were available.

Japan's services and factories hit as virus impact deepens

Japan’s services sector shrank at the fastest pace on record in March and factory activity at its quickest in about a decade, according to a newly-released business survey.
The slowdown in manufacturing and services raises the risk of a sharp downturn in the world’s third-largest economy as the coronavirus pandemic paralyses business and consumer activity.
“If the outbreak were to accelerate, the economic damage could far exceed what we’ve seen so far, particularly if the Olympic Games are postponed,” said Joe Hayes, economist at IHS Markit, which compiles the survey.
The Japanese government is under increasing pressure to roll out stimulus measures after figures showed the economy shrank the most since 2014 in the final quarter of last year as it struggled to overcome a rise in its sales tax.

British travellers stranded in NZ and Australia

Hundreds of Britons stuck "Down Under" are calling on the UK government to send chartered flights. Read our full story here.

US airlines 'preparing for shutdown'

Major airlines in the US are preparing themselves for a voluntary shutdown of essentially all passenger flights, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The paper says US government agencies are also thought to be considering ordering airlines to stop running flights.
The industry has suffered a huge hit from the coronavirus pandemic, with people around the world either choosing not to travel abroad, or being ordered not to by their respective governments.
About 80 million US residents in states such as California, New York and Washington are already subjected to mandatory stay-at-home orders.
And aircraft firm Boeing said earlier that it was suspending operations at its plant near Seattle.

Indonesia scraps national exams

National exams in Indonesia are officially off.
The country's education minister said the exams - initially set to be held at the end of the month - carried "more risks than benefits" for students.
ndonesia is currently urging people to practice social distancing, as the death toll there reaches 49 - the highest in South East Asia.
There are 579 confirmed cases nationwide.

European cross-border assistance

Despite restrictions on movement across Europe, crucial medical co-operation continues across borders.
Severely ill patients from France's Alsace region are being treated in nearby cities in neighbouring Switzerland and Germany where hospitals still have capacity.
Politicians helping to co-ordinate the transfers have praised the co-operation as an example of European solidarity, while others are warning that the excess capacity might be short-lived as every country in the region expects its medical system to be overwhelmed soon by patients needing care.
On Wednesday, a small group of coronavirus patients were flown from Italy to the German state of Saxony to be treated there. Officials said the hospitals could help as long as they have spare capacity and the treatment of Italian patients might also help medical staff to learn how better to deal with the new illness.

Ten of your most-asked coronavirus questions

How long do you have the illness, how does it affect asthmatics and other questions answered.

Thailand to declare state of emergency

Thailand's government is set to declare a state of emergency, as the outbreak continues to infect hundreds across the country.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said the one-month state of emergency would come into effect on Thursday.
This move will give the government additional enforcement powers.
It's still not clear what these could be. Thailand says they'll will be announced later.
It comes after the country reported 106 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths. The overall number of confirmed cases now stands at 827, with four deaths.

UK workers are being asked to turn up despite lockdown

Many non-critical workers in the UK are still turning up to do their jobs because their employers are asking them to.
The news rules say all shops selling non-essential goods must close immediately. Retailer Sports Direct initially said it would remain open but has now changed course and will close its stores for now.
Other businesses - such as the construction industry - are unclear if the rules apply to them.
Graham Watts, the chief executive of the Construction Industry Council, tweeted on Monday night: “Officials are working to secure much needed clarity about the position of construction sites."
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called on the government to clarify which workplaces should close.
Without that, workers fear they may be asked to turn up, despite the lockdown.

UK children can visit separated parents - Gove

UK cabinet minister Michael Gove has been asked to provide more clarity on the government guidelines announced on Monday night.
Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, he said:

• Chancellor Rishi Sunak will outline more help for self-employed workers later
  
• Deliveries of "non-essential" goods such as toys and clothes can continue
  
• He says people should work from home "wherever possible" but there will be exceptions. For example, he says plumbers may be called out to emergencies but Sports Direct stores "should not be open"
  
• Ministers want to "reduce the rate of infection" and will follow scientific advice on whether or not to change the measures after three weeks
  
• Children under the age of 18 can travel between the homes of separated parents - a point he reiterated on Twitter: wasn’t clear enough earlier, apologies. To confirm - while children should not normally be moving between households, we recognise that this may be necessary when children who are under 18 move between separated parents. This is permissible & has been made clear in the guidance
  

How will police enforce new UK rules?

The measures announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson represent some of the most far-reaching curbs on personal freedom ever introduced in the UK in peacetime.
But it’s unclear how the rules can be made to work.
The first hurdle is to get them onto the statute book. Although the prime minister said the restrictions on travel and gatherings would come into effect immediately, police don’t yet have the powers to enforce them and have yet to be given official guidance.
The second issue, assuming legal regulations are approved later this week, is the practical difficulty of getting groups to disperse, and accurately identifying people who shouldn’t be on the streets, without losing public goodwill and sparking disorder.
When efforts to persuade those who don’t comply have failed, officers will be able to issue fines, with prosecutions likely to be a last resort.
But at a time when police resources are stretched, and officer numbers increasingly depleted through illness and self-isolation, forces will be hoping communities do the right thing without the need for police intervention.

London Tube still busy despite lockdown

Despite the lockdown announced in the UK on Monday evening, London Underground trains are reported to be busy on Tuesday morning.
UK PM Boris Johnson has ordered people to leave their homes only for "very limited purposes". Among the restrictions he announced was that of travelling to and from work where "absolutely necessary".
London Mayor Sadiq Khan also urged workers to stay at home and said public transport should only be used by key workers, otherwise "people will die".
Some passengers have said a reduced service means trains are busier.

UK mobile networks send 'stay at home' text

For the first time in the UK, mobile networks are sending out an emergency government text message to your mobile.
For the first time, UK mobile networks send out a government message with a link to more information.
Read more
It follows similar moves in the Netherlands and South Korea, where governments can send such alerts directly.
In the UK, the government has had to work with the operators to get the messages sent because an emergency alert system, trialled seven years ago, was never put into practice, the Guardian newspaper reports..
If it had been, the government could have bypassed the operators and sent messages directly to phone users, as has happened in other countries.

Stranded Britons 'imprisoned in paradise'

“Paradise feels like it is slowly turning into a prison," Briton Hollie Hunt told me today, as she and a reported 200 other tourists remain stranded on the Philippines’ famous Boracay island.Gatherings and swimming along the island's white-sand beaches are currently prohibited.
Hollie, who has been stuck on the island for a week, says that as an NHS auxiliary nurse she is desperate to return to the UK so she can help “overworked” colleagues treating Covid-19 patients at home.
On 17 March all domestic flights to and from the capital Manila were cancelled. Since then airlines have been operating limited “sweeper flights” to pick up stranded tourists.
The British Embassy says it is aware of about 170 Britons in the Philippines who are currently adversely affected by travel restrictions ordered by the government.
Consular staff at the embassy say they are “working around the clock” with the authorities and airlines to try to keep routes open.

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Latest from the Middle East: Countries tighten restrictions

Across the Middle East, countries are continuing to tighten restrictions - and punish violators. Here's the latest:

• Jordan, which indefinitely extended a round-the-clock curfew on Monday, is to begin distributing bread, water and fuel
  
• Israel is expected to announce a curfew and tough penalties for violations, with people only allowed out to get food, medicine and other essential items
  
• Syria's Kurdish Regional Government, in the north-east, says it will impose a two-week curfew from Thursday, warning of the risk of the coronavirus spreading through camps for internally displaced people as well as among prisoners, including thousands of Islamic State members and their families
  
• In Iran - where 1,812 people have died from the virus, and more than 23,000 are infected - the authorities have announced an extension by at least another month to temporary leave already granted to some 85,000 prisoners. British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is among those who have been released
  
• UAE authorities have called for all Emirati students abroad to return home within 48 hours, and for members of the public to stay at home apart from in exceptional circumstances
  

Army delivers PPE to London hospitals

The British Army has been going to hospitals in London this morning to deliver Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - the special protective gear you've no doubt seen doctors and nurses wearing while treating coronavirus patients.
NHS staff have previously told the BBC there is a dangerous lack of PPE available for medics.
One doctor said it made them feel like "cannon fodder", while another said the masks, aprons and short gloves that constitute PPE in the UK are short of World Health Organization (WHO) standards. The WHO recommends medics wear a full gown and visor.
The chair of the Doctor's Association UK also told the BBC the lack of adequate PPE made NHS workers feel like "lambs to the slaughter".
Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the government to "sort this out".

Olympics could be postponed as early as today

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games could be formally postponed as early as today, BBC Sport understands.
An International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson said: “The IOC is discussing with the Japanese government, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and the IOC Executive Board about the scenario planning including the postponement of the Games and will communicate in due course.”
On Monday night, the United States Olympic Committee said it was "more clear than ever" the Games are on "a path to postponement".
The Games are scheduled to start on 24 July.

What’s the latest across Europe?

France has begun a two-month health emergency, tightening restrictions on movement. Exercise is now only allowed outside for an hour and within 1km (about half a mile) of your home. Elsewhere in Europe:

• Germany has reported a steep increase in the number of cases. The Robert Koch Institute says 27,436 people have Covid-19, a rise of 4,800 in 24 hours. This may include cases over the weekend. The biggest increase was in Baden-Württemberg state. RKI says 114 have died. Meanwhile, a plane carrying eight infected patients from Italy landed in Leipzig overnight for treatment.
  
• Italy’s civil protection head says as many as 600,000 people have been infected, almost 10 times the official figure. The rate of increase in new cases and deaths has begun to fall and Angelo Borrelli has told La Repubblica “in the next few hours… we will understand if the growth curve really is flattening out”
  
• Doctors in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier have asked for entire town to be put into quarantine, saying it has become a “hub” for infections. One doctor estimates up to 60% of the town is infected. The local authority says national restrictions are sufficient and quarantine is not a solution
  
• Spain has so far seen the majority of its 35,000 cases in Madrid and three other areas in the north. After the army found the bodies of care home residents in their beds, nursing homes have been told to tell the authorities immediately if they have a problem
  
• The Netherlands has banned all gatherings of three or more people until June
  
• A report from Belgium says the authorities destroyed six million surgical masks in 2019 as they were past their expiry date. The health minister is facing criticism because they were not replaced in time for this pandemic
  

Spain deaths spike

The number of people dying from coronavirus in Spain has risen by 514 in the past 24 hours - a daily record. A total of 2,696 people have now died and there are 39,637 confirmed cases, the Spanish ministry of health says.

The virus spread in numbers

We have the latest figures showing how the disease is spreading around the world.
Infections have been recorded in some 190 countries, with more than 300,000 confirmed cases outside China, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University.
The true figure for the number of people with coronavirus is thought to be much higher as many of those with milder symptoms have not been tested.
See charts and maps explaining the spread of the virus here in our visual guide to the pandemic

Ryanair expects flights to be grounded until June

Budget airline Ryanair says it expects most of its flights to be grounded from Tuesday, adding that it is unlikely to run any in April and May.
The company also says it has offered its aircraft to all EU governments for rescue flights and the essential movement of medicines, personal protective equipment (PPE) and food supplies.
"As Europe's borders become congested or closed, it is vital Ryanair plays its part to keep vital medicines and food supplies moving," says chief executive Michael O'Leary.
Ryanair also says passengers who have had a flight cancelled because of the measures will receive an email outlining their options in the "next week or two".

What's the latest from around Asia?

• Almost all of India is under lockdown and state borders have been closed. Buses, trains and other forms of public transport are suspended. On Monday, the authorities said domestic flights would also be stopped. The country has reported 485 cases and nine people have died. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation again on Tuesday evening
  

• Neighbouring Pakistan has almost twice as many confirmed cases - 878 as of Monday evening. Sweeping restrictions are in place although the government stopped short of imposing a nationwide lockdown. However, several provinces have announced them independently. The army is being brought in to help enforce the restrictions
  

• Bangladesh, which has reported 33 cases and three deaths, is also deploying its armed forces to help maintain social distancing and boost Covid-19 preventive measures. The soldiers will also monitor thousands of expatriate returnees who have been quarantined. Across South Asia, there are concerns that the real number of cases could be much higher.
  

• In Thailand a month-long state of emergency will start on Thursday which will include curfews and checkpoints. The government has been criticised for failing to take strong action so far. Four people have died and nearly 900 tested positive
  

• Talks between the Japanese PM and the International Olympic Committee are expected this evening
  

• The most populous country without any infections until now - Myanmar - has announced two cases
  
• Indonesia has confirmed another 107 new cases - the country's biggest daily increase to date. A total of 686 cases have now been recorded, with 55 deaths as of Tuesday
  

Golf courses shut in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

Golf courses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will shut following the latest government measures.
Amateur golfers had previously been able to continue playing as long as they adhered to guidance on social distancing.
Scottish Golf has asked golfers in Scotland to “refrain from golfing until further notice”.
Golf clubs in the Republic of Ireland are awaiting guidance from the Irish government.

The latest news from South America

Here is a round-up of the recent updates for the region:

• Brazil's federal indigenous rights agency Funai has revoked a measure that would have loosened restrictions on approaching isolated indigenous tribes, following public backlash
  
• In Argentina, those who went to the beach last week - before movement restrictions were introduced - have been told by authorities they now have to stay there
  

• Bolivia’s electoral body has called for a new election date, saying the rescheduled 3 May vote is no longer workable. The country is being led by an interim president after the previous leader, Evo Morales, resigned suddenly in November amid tensions over alleged election fraud.
  
• Colombia will begin mass “mandatory preventive isolation”, starting at 00:00 on Wednesday, meaning people will have to stay in their homes
  

How is the UK court system coping?

People in the UK have been told to work from home unless there are exceptional circumstances - but what does this mean for the country's judicial system?
In an update published yesterday, the Lord Chief Justice said that hearings should either be paused or held remotely.
"We have put in place arrangements to use telephone, video and other technology to continue as many hearings as possible remotely," he said, adding that jury trials - which cannot be conducted remotely - should be postponed.
Some Circuit (regional) Leaders have also urged barristers in their circuitsnot to attend any hearings in person.
In this spirit, the Supreme Court has been holding a hearing over a video conferencing app - but this hasn't been without it's hiccups.
The BBC's Home Affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani says one Justice "had video, but no voice", while another "had clearer audio but video kept stopping".

Self-employed set for financial support

• Self-employed people are saying they have not been given support from the government - I think it is going to change, and quickly.
  Ministers are under no illusions they have to provide a better package for the self-employed, comparable to the one provided by the chancellor last week for the employed.
  I think we will see a package, maybe not today because there is a lot of stuff to be bedded down, possibly not on Wednesday, but certainly this week.
  The difficulty seems to be coming up with a way to compensate the self-employed. This can be easily done for the employed through PAYE. The self-employed have different income levels, so how can you create a system which respects the different earnings of different self-employed people?
  I suspect that will be done one way or the other through the tax system.
  Normally a budget takes the combined brain power of the Treasury months and months to put together. We're talking about something which has never been done before and has to be put in place to safeguard five million people, a massive undertaking which has to be made as secure as possible in days. That is an enormous task.
  

New inventions designed to fight the pandemic

Welsh inventors have been among those working on new designs to try to help prevent the spread of the virus.
Mass production has begun of a snood-type mask, which designers say can kill this coronavirus - potentially helping protect frontline workers and the vulnerable.
The company behind it hopes to make as many as a million-a-week and plans to reserve part of that stock for the NHS.
"We have been working on the anti-viral coating since 2011 but it's only in the last five weeks that we have developed the snood in response to the current pandemic," said Anna Roberts, of Virustatic Shield.
Meanwhile, a new ventilator, which took just three days to design, has already successfully treated a Covid-19 patient- and has been backed by the Welsh Government.
Read more about the inventions designed to help tackle the pandemic here.

Spain sees record 514 deaths in one day

It's another dark day for Spain with a total of 39,763 cases of coronavirus confirmed across the country.Another 6,582 infections have been announced in the past 24 hours and the number of deaths has now reached 2,696.
The capital Madrid continues to be the epicentre of Spain's pandemic, with 1,535 deaths. The north-east region of Catalonia is now also becoming a big cause for concern with 1,939 cases in the past day, higher than Madrid.
Health emergency chief Fernando Simón has stressed that almost 3,800 people have now recovered from the virus but 2,636 remain in intensive care.
"This is a tough week and we are all hoping to see if we are managing to reach the peak and start going down, with these very aggressive measures that have been imposed on Spain".
Attention has also turned to the alarming rate of infection among health professionals. Of the 39,763 infected people around the country, 5,400 are healthcare staff - meaning they make up nearly 14% of those with the disease.
The government has asked MPs to extend the state of alert to 11 April.

Japan asks for Olympics postponement

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asked for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to be postponed by a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Abe said he has agreed the delay with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach following talks earlier on Tuesday.
BBC sports editor Dan Roan says the IOC's Executive Board will approve the delay this afternoon.

Italian priest who gave respirator away dies

An Italian priest who gave his respirator away to a younger patient he didn't know has died of the coronavirus.
Father Giuseppe Berardelli, 72, died in a hospital in Lovere, Bergamo - one of Italy's worst-hit cities.
The hospital said Father Berardelli's parishioners from the town of Casnigo had brought him a respirator, but he refused to use it, choosing instead to give it away.
Residents of Casnigo are reported to have applauded from their windows and balconies as his coffin was taken for burial. There was no funeral.
Read more about this story here.

Self-employed help must be 'fair and affordable' - UK

More now on financial help for the self-employed in the UK.  As our assistant political editor outlined a little earlier, things could be about to change.
So far, the UK government has said it will pay the wages of employees unable to work due to the pandemic. But that does not include the self-employed.
Speaking in the Commons a few moments ago, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said there were "genuine practical and principle reasons" to roll out a similar scheme for freelancers.
"Of course there have been people whose incomes have been impacted by what is happening," he said.
"But there are also millions of people who are self-employed whose incomes may not have been impacted and indeed might be increasing.
"The ability for the government to distinguish between those people based on tax returns that are over a year and a half out of date, poses some very significant challenges in terms of fairness and affordability."
He added that the Treasury had been looking into measures in "intense detail" over the past week, but would not commit to a date when more help would be made available.

More from 24th March - Continued ... (Part 2)

First death reported in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has confirmed its first death from Covid-19. The victim was a 51-year-old man from Afghanistan, the health ministry says.
The kingdom has the highest rate of infections in the Gulf, second to Iran, with 205 new cases reported on Tuesday, bringing the total to 767.
It has imposed tough restrictions, including an overnight curfew for the next three weeks, to try to slow the spread of the disease.
Other measures include shutting public venues, including places of worship - apart from the grand mosques of Mecca and Medina, where restrictions are in place. All public transport has also been suspended.

US could become next global epicentre, WHO warns

The World Health Organization has warned the US has the potential to become the global epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.
Speaking in Geneva, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said there had been a "very large acceleration" in cases in the country.
"We cannot say that is the case yet but it does have that potential" to become the next Covid-19 hotspot, she told reporters, according to Reuters.
So far, there have been more than 46,000 cases in the US and 593 deaths, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University.
Europe is currently at the centre of the crisis, with Italy reporting more deaths than any other country.

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And I have just received this text on my phone from Gov.uk

CORONAVIRUS ALERT
New rules in force now:  you must stay at home.  More info & exemptions at [url=gov.uk/coronavirus]gov.uk/coronavirus [/url]

Stay at home.  Protect the NHS.  Save lives.

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Coronavirus: Mobile networks send 'stay at home' text
by Roy Cellan-Jones - BBC Technology Correspondent


For the first time, all the UK's mobile networks are sending out a government message to their customers with details of the new shutdown measures.
The text reads:
GOV.UK CORONAVIRUS ALERT. New rules in force now: you must stay at home. More info and exemptions at gov.uk/coronavirus Stay at home. Protect the NHS. Save lives.
Some customers have already received the message, while others are set to get it later in the day.
The network O2 told the BBC it was sending the texts in batches adding it could take until 22:00GMT to complete the task.
The government has had to work with the operators to get the message sent because an emergency alert system, trialled seven years ago, was never put into practice.
If it had been, the government could have bypassed the operators and sent messages directly to phone users, as has happened in countries such as South Korea and the Netherlands.
Such a service would have allowed the government to bypass the mobile networks and send messages directly to all of the UK's mobile phones.
The trials run by the Cabinet Office in 2014 were apparently successful, with three mobile operators testing the broadcast of text messages in a defined area.
The final report on the trials said the idea had proved popular with focus groups and other members of the public surveyed about it.
It concluded that "the system would be an effective way of getting people to take specific protective action during an emergency".

The report also suggested it would be possible to send alerts to the public within 15 minutes of making a decision.
It is not clear why the system was not then put into practice, although one operator told the BBC that cost might have been an issue.

While the link in the government text is safe to click, the public is being warned to be cautious about other unsolicited coronavirus messages they receive.
The UK's National Cyber Security Centre has warned that criminals have ramped up bogus email campaigns that aim to trick users into clicking links that can lead to their computers being infected or seek to fool the recipients into divulging sensitive information.
It has cautioned that people should also be wary of opening attachments unless they know the sender.
Security firms have also warned that some scammers have sent out bogus SMS messages.
"These SMS spam attacks attempt to use the fear around the coronavirus worldwide emergency to try to push their targets to respond to the SMS spam, and so monetise (make money from) the attack," wrote AdaptiveMobile Security on its blog.
The issue poses a challenge to the government if it intends to continue using text alerts as a means to communicate its advice.

For the third day in a row, the infection rate here (Italy) is slowing.
Some 69,176 people in Italy are now confirmed to have coronavirus – that’s an increase of just over 8% on Monday's figures. It’s the slowest rise since the outbreak began and is now starting to look like a downward trend in new infections.
Deaths, though, have risen again - 743 people infected with the virus have died in the past 24 hours, up from 601. But it's the infection rate that the authorities here will look at closest: it seems to show that the nationwide restrictions are working.
Those are likely to tighten further, with the fine for breaking the rules set to increase, from a maximum of €206 – that’s £190 - to €3,000 – more than £2,750.
Much now depends on the rest of this week: if the infection rate continues to decline, the government will be able to tell Italians that their sacrifice is paying off.

How distance = fewer cases
Robert Cuffe - BBC head of statistics
It's the first day of new restrictions on movement in the UK. So what does the British government hope to achieve?
Scientists currently believe that each person infected with Covid-19 infects, on average, a further 2.5 people over the course of around five days.
That means 30 days after that first infection, 406 people will have the virus.
But, if we reduce our exposure by half, that first infection would only lead to 15 infections in 30 days - less than 5% of 406.
Of course, it’s not guaranteed that we can all reduce our exposure by half and it takes a few weeks for the effect of any intervention to show up.
But if we reduce exposure by, say, a third, the reduction is just over 85% (or 53 infections).
Look at the diagram below, which may make the effect of reducting the infection rate a little clearer.

Trump seeks help from South Korea

US President Donald Trump has asked South Korea for medical supplies to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, according to the presidential office in Seoul.
Mr Trump made the requested in a phone call to the South Korean leader Moon Jae-in.
South Korea has been widely praised for its handling of the Covid-19 outbreak which has involved aggressive use of technology, widespread testing and contact tracing.
It’s not yet clear what kind of medical devices are being requested by Mr Trump. President Moon said his government would provide “maximum support” if enough supplies were available.
The presidential office in Seoul said the equipment may require approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which Mr Trump claimed would be given by the end of today.

India lockdown for 21 days

India, the world's second most populous country, will introduce a lockdown from midnight for 21 days.
"There will be a total ban on venturing out of your homes," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a televised address.
There have been 482 confirmed cases of coronavirus and nine deaths in India so far.

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UK death toll rises by 87

There have been 87 deaths caused by coronavirus in the UK since Monday, taking the total to 422 - according to the latest government figures.

 Department of Health and Social Care    @DHSCgovuk


UPDATE on coronavirus (#COVID19) testing in the UK:

As of 9am on 24 March, a total of 90,436 have been tested:

82,359 negative.
8,077 positive.

As of 1pm, 422 patients who tested positive for coronavirus have sadly died.


The digital dashboard will be updated later today.

UK seeks 250,000 NHS volunteers

Health Secretary Matt Hancock says they are looking for 250,000 "NHS volunteers" to help national health service employees with "shopping, delivery of medicines and to support those who are shielded"

New 4,000-bed London hospital to open

A new hospital is to be established in the ExCeL centre, an exhibition centre in east London, Mr Hancock says.
The new NHS Nightingale Hospital will consist of two wards and hold up to 4,000 patients, Mr Hancock says.
In response to the UK's call for retired medics to return to the NHS, Mr Hancock says more than 11,500 have come forward, including 2,660 doctors and 6,147 nurses.
He adds that more than 18,000 medical students will also join the NHS workforce.

Hancock new steps 'are not requests, they are rules'

Mr Hancock (UK Health Secretary) says the steps outlined by the prime minister on Monday "are not requests, they are rules".
He says "everyone has a responsibility to follow those rules" and calls on the country to come together in the national effort.

UK 'has ordered 3.5 million antibody tests'

Matt Hancock reveals the government has bought 3.5 million antibody tests, that will be able to tell people whether they have had the virus.
"Those will come online very soon," he says.
He adds that a new testing facility has opened today in Milton Keynes.
He also says 7.5 million pieces of protective equipment have been ordered for NHS staff.

Deaths up but new cases down again in Italy

Italy is currently the worst-affected nation, with 6,820 now reported dead from coronavirus, according to the latest figures.
But the rate of infection has seemingly slowed there in the last few days, raising hopes that strict social-distancing measures are having an effect.
On Tuesday, Italian officials said 54,030 people had tested positive, up 3,612, which is about a 1% decrease in new cases on the previous day.
BBC Rome correspondent Mark Lowen said the continued slowing of new cases in Italy is “starting to look like a trend”.
The outbreak is far from under control yet, however.
Earlier, Angelo Borrelli, Italy's civil protection chief, told newspaper La Repubblica it was "credible" to estimate the numbers of infected are 10 times higher in reality.
"In the next few hours… we will see if the growth curve is really flattening," he told the paper.

Key points from Matt Hancock's press conference

ust before we brought you the news from Italy, we were following UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock's briefing.
Here are some of the key points that came out of it:

• A temporary 4,000-bed hospital will be opened at the ExCel conference centre in London. It will be called the NHS Nightingale Hospital
  

• 250,00 volunteers are being sought to help the NHS. The NHS volunteer responders scheme will help with shopping and delivering medicines
  
• 11,788 former medics have already responded to the UK's call to return to the NHS, including 2,660 doctors and 6,147 nurses
  
• From next week, 5,500 final year medics and more than 18,700 final year student nurses will "move to the frontline" of the NHS
  
• The government has bought 3.5 million antibody tests to show people whether they have had the virus
  

'Measures a sign of things to come'

Vicki Young - Chief Political Correspondent
Think back to the chief scientific officer last week saying that for every death from coronavirus, they estimated there would be around 1,000 cases. That’s a huge number of people already suffering from the disease.
What we don't know is how many are being hospitalised or need intensive care. They not only need ventilators and equipment, they need the staff.
People will think it is good that the steps announced by Matt Hancock today, such as the creation of a new hospital in the ExCel Centre, are being taken.
But it is also a sign of what is to come - and particularly the difficulties in the capital, where this virus is spreading very quickly.

18:28

Ireland introduces new measures to curb Covid-19

New measures against the outbreak have been announced in the Republic of Ireland.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said theatres, playgrounds, clubs and gyms are to shut, while most outdoor gatherings of more than four people could be broken up by police.
And in a similar step to that taken by the UK on Monday, the Irish prime minister asked people only to leave home:

• For work if it is essential
  
• For essential supplies such as food
  
• To care for the vulnerable
  
• To exercise
  

The restrictions will stay in place until 19 April.

Chaos and calm as Jordanians queue for bread

Yolande Knell
BBC Middle East correspondent
Jordan’s government has started delivering basic goods, medicines and fuel to its population of 10 million, after announcing an indefinite curfew to deal with the coronavirus.
On social media, Jordanians have shared videos of buses being mobbedin some neighbourhoods while in others, locals have queued in a safe, orderly fashion.
“It’s trial and error at a very critical time," says Amman resident Lubna Wardeh, as she waited for a bus with supplies to arrive on her street so she can buy bread and water.
“Those people who went crazy put our quarantine back at zero,” she said.
A government minister praised "citizen's discipline" for spacing themselves as they queued.

Coronavirus cases hit 400,000 worldwide

At least 400,000 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed worldwide, a new milestone in the number of infections, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University.
The university has been keeping track of the number of coronavirus cases and deaths on its online global dashboard.
Its data shows the number of confirmed cases has grown exponentially in the past few weeks, with European countries in particular reporting a huge surge in infections.
Global cases surpassed 100,000 on 6 March, 200,000 on 18 March, 300,000 on 21 March and 400,000 on 24 March, the university's dashboard shows.
Here are the five countries with the most cases:

• China, with 81,591 cases
  
• Italy, with 69,176 cases
  
• The US, with 49,768 cases
  
• Spain, with 39,676 cases
  
• Germany, with 31,991 cases
  

France death toll passes 1,000

The death toll in France from the coronavirus has jumped by 240 in the last 24 hours to reach 1,100. That's its biggest daily rise yet.
There were 2,444 new confirmed cases in the same period, bringing the total number in the country to at least 22,300, France’s health ministry said.
The death toll is likely to be higher, as those confirmed so far have only been people who died in hospital, French media reports say.
Like most other European countries, France has implemented Draconian restrictions on life to prevent the virus from spreading.
The country was put into lockdown on 17 March, requiring people to stay indoors stay except for essential trips for an initial 15-day period.
But on Tuesday, France’s scientific council advised the government to extend the lockdown, saying it should last at least six weeks to suppress the virus more effectively.
Health minister Olivier Véran said the lockdown will “last as long as it needs to”.

Outbreak on idyllic tourist island in Baltic Sea

The largest island in Estonia is at the heart of the Baltic state’s coronavirus outbreak, with 114 of the country’s 369 cases.
The outbreak in Saaremaa is thought to have begun when an Italian volleyball team from Milan played a local club at the beginning of March.
The island, which has a population of 33,000, has spent the past 10 days sealed off from the rest of Estonia.
“We’ve been living under in a constant state of emergency for the last two weeks and are aware of an imminent danger of an explosion (of cases). The situation could get much more dramatic,” Mayor Madis Kallas told the BBC.
The hospital on Saaremaa was the first in Estonia to set up a drive-in testing facility, but it has been struggling with a lack of supplies of protective gear. Patients in a serious condition have been sent to hospitals on the mainland.

Greta Thunberg believes she had coronavirus

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has said it was “extremely likely” that she fell ill with coronavirus but has now recovered.
The 17-year-old said she felt “tired, had shivers, a sore throat and coughed” after returning from a trip in Europe, so self-isolated for two weeks.
“Everyone feeling ill are told to stay at home and isolate themselves. I have therefore not been tested for Covid-19, but it’s extremely likely that I’ve had it, given the combined symptoms and circumstances," she wrote on Instagram.
She warned people to stay at home because “our actions can be the difference between life and death” for others.

How sport has been affected

The Tokyo Olympics 2020 is the latest - and largest - sporting event to be postponed. The coronavirus crisis has decimated this year's sporting calendar. Here is just a snapshot of the major international events which have been affected:

• Football: Euro 2020 postponed to 2021
  
• Football: English and Scottish football suspended until 30 April at the earliest
  
• Tennis: The ATP and WTA Tours, including the French Open, suspended until 7 June
  
• Formula 1: The opening eight races of the 2020 season postponed or cancelled
  
• Golf: The Masters, the first men's major of the year and scheduled for 9 April, postponed
  
• Rugby Union: The Six Nations tournament postponed, with domestic leagues in the United Kingdom, France, Australia and South Africa suspended indefinitely or postponed
  
• Basketball: The NBA season suspended until further notice
  
• Athletics: The London Marathon moved from 26 April to 4 October
  
• Cricket: The English county cricket season delayed by seven weeks, not starting before 28 May
  

For a full timeline of all sporting events affected go here.

NY Governor warns coronavirus like 'a bullet train'

New York has become the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis in the US.
Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday pleaded for medical supplies, warning the virus was spreading in his state faster than "a bullet train".
New York now has over 25,000 confirmed cases and over 200 deaths, with the number of new cases doubling every three days.
"The apex is higher than we thought and the apex is sooner than we thought," Mr Cuomo told reporters.
The governor's warning comes as President Trump suggested having the US open for business by early next month while criticising Mr Cuomo for not having ordered more supplies years before.
Read the full story: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52012048

Bolsonaro calls for 'end to mass confinement'

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has called for "an end to mass confinement" and accused states of using excessive measures to try to stop the coronavirus.
In a televised address, the controversial right-wing leader blamed the media for spreading "dread" and said that if he caught the virus he would only get "a little cold".
Brazil's health ministry declined to comment on the president's statement, the G1 news website reported.
The BBC's Katy Watson in Sao Paulo said that as soon as the president started talking, people began banging pots and pans on their balconies in protest.
Mr Bolsonaro has previously dismissed precautions taken against the coronavirus as "hysteria" and "fantasy".
On Tuesday, Coronavirus deaths in Brazil rose to 46 from 34 and cases rose to 2,201 from 1,891, the health ministry said.

India begins three-week lockdown

India is waking up to its first day of a three-week lockdown aimed at controlling the spread of coronavirus.
Panic-buying broke out in the Indian capital Delhi and other major cities after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the drastic new measures would come into force at midnight.
In a televised address, he said that the only way that Indians could save themselves from coronavirus was for no-one to leave their home. Otherwise, he said, India would be set back decades.
More details on the lockdown can be found in our full story here.
There have been 519 confirmed cases of Covid-19 across India and 10 reported deaths.

Hard-hit Spain asks Nato for help

Spain has asked Nato for humanitarian assistance after the death toll from the virus jumped by 514 in a single day and the number of infections soared to nearly 40,000.
The government has requested tens of thousands of surgical masks, gloves, disposable gowns, respirators, thermometers and other equipment. Half a million testing kits are also on the list, El Pais reports.
"This is a very hard week because we're in the first stages of overcoming the virus, a phase in which we are approaching the peak of the epidemic," Health Minister Salvador Illa told reporters.
Spain is the worst affected country in Europe after Italy.

Almost 420,000 global cases

The ten most-affected countries:
- China: 81,591
- Italy: 69,176
- US: 53,740
- Spain: 39,885
- Germany: 32,986
- Iran: 24,811
- France: 22,622
- Switzerland: 9,877
- South Korea: 9,037
- United Kingdom: 8,164

Almost 20,000 global deaths

- Italy: 6,820
- Hubei province, China: 3,160
- Spain: 2,808
- Iran: 1,934
- France: 1,100
- US: 775
- United Kingdom: 422
- Netherlands: 276
- Germany: 157
- Belgium: 122

Summary for 25th March


   -  India's 1.3 billion people went into lockdown at midnight
   -  PM Narendra Modi announced a "total ban" on leaving homes, but some shops are staying open
   -  US lawmakers have agreed a $2 trillion stimulus package
   -  New York's governor says virus is racing "like a bullet train" through state
   -  Global cases exceed 400,000 with deaths approaching 20,000

---

Australia 'very worried about rate of rise'

Good morning from Australia, which is ramping up response measures. About 2,300 people here have now tested positive – it was about 600 a week ago.
"We are very worried about the rate of the rise. It is a very, very steep growth," chief medical officer Dr Brendan Murphy told Australians last night.
From midnight, strict limits will apply to people attending funerals and weddings. Many businesses have been ordered to close - we have more details here.
For the first time, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also expressly discouraged gatherings at home.
This morning, he added elective surgeries would be banned and a new taskforce would be created to stimulate businesses.
New South Wales, which has more than 1,000 cases, said its first children under 10 had tested positive: a two-month-old boy and a seven-year-old girl.

'Hunger may kill us before the virus'

Millions of daily-wage workers across India have found themselves in a predicament - do they abide by a government lockdown and stay at home with no wages? Or do they risk their lives to go out to work?
Some say they don't have much of a choice.
"I know everything about coronavirus. It's very dangerous," a water bottle-seller told the BBC's Vikas Pandey.
"But for people like us, the choice is between safety and hunger. What should we pick?"
Read more about their struggles, here.

Officials point fingers over Australia ship 'disaster'

As we’ve been reporting, the decision to allow passengers off the Ruby Princess cruise ship in Sydney last Thursday is being seen as a catastrophic error.
One woman has died and there are least 130 cases.
Passengers have contacted the BBC saying they received no warnings at all. A furious public has been calling for accountability.

• How did the Ruby Princess disaster happen?
  

In response, the Australian Border Force (ABF) spoke out this morning to point the finger squarely at state health officials.
ABF commissioner Michael Outram said the ship’s doctor flagged flu-cases two days before arrival in Sydney.
New South Wales (NSW) Health assessed this information but cleared the ship as “low risk”. It dismissed doing an on-board medical check at port, and told the Ruby it was free to disembark.
“The decision to allow them off … was one of the New South Wales Health,” said Mr Outram.
NSW Health has defended itself, saying it followed national protocols. This morning it stressed all cases so far had been exposed on the ship – something they couldn’t have prevented.
But they didn’t address the critics questioning why they let infected passengers off the ship to then go home to their individual countries.
Authorities were still seeking to “identify an onward transmission from any contact with those people travelling home”.

Why are 1.3 billion people under lockdown?

India is a crowded place and many of life's every day activities include being around lots of people - which is what makes it a difficult place to control the virus.

• Taking the train to work - between 85 - 90% of people who use trains travel in overcrowded second-class coaches
  
• Going to a place of worship, for many it's a daily activity to take part in congregations or religious musical functions
  
• Big or joint families - it's not uncommon for three generations to live together. One infected person could mean the entire family, including grandparents, get sick.
  

The BBC's Soutik Biswas in Delhi says these are the reasons India requires a "hard" lockdown to fight the virus.
But the lockdown isn't without its challenges. Read more from him here.

What is open after India lockdown?

Indians across the country were told to stay at home starting today, and it kicked off a night of chaos which saw long lines and panic buying across supermarkets, pharmacies and other essential shops.
After the speech by PM Narendra Modi announcing the complete shutdown a ministry statement clarified what exactly would be allowed to stay open:

• Shops dealing with food, groceries, fruits and vegetables etc. However, district authorities may encourage home deliveries to be carried out instead
  
• Banks, insurance offices and ATMs
  
• Print and electronic media
  
• Petrol stations
  

When and how people can step outdoors varies by state and authorities are expected to clarify the rules today.

Indian students stranded on Bangladesh border

Wailur Rahman - BBC Bengali Service
About 100 medical students from India are stranded on the Bangladesh border, as they are not being allowed to enter the country.
Benapole land port deputy director Mohammed Mamun Kabir Tarafder told the BBC that Bangladesh had cleared the students to leave, but Indian port authorities are refusing to let anyone enter.
Bangladesh has closed all its educational institutes in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.
The 100 students are all from Indian-administered Kashmir, Mr Mamun said.
"Everyone here has Indian passports and legal visas, so we don’t know what to do in this situation," he added.

US death toll almost at 800

The United States has seen its deadliest day of the outbreak so far with the overall death toll now at almost 800.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says the US could become the next global epicentre of the pandemic, citing a "very large acceleration" in infections.
The WHO had first identified the epicentre in China where the virus first broke out, then in Europe where Italy has seen the highest number of deaths worldwide.
The US is thought to be only at the beginning of its outbreak and authorities are warning they are expecting things to get worse over the next weeks. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has warned that his state's soaring numbers are giving a bleak outlook for what has to be expected for the country as a whole.
Across the US, there are around 55,000 people confirmed to be infected. The worst hit states are New York and California. Many states have implemented lockdowns to a varying degree, shutting down much of daily life in many major cities.

US sailors test positive for virus

Three sailors on board aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Philippine Sea have now tested positive for the virus.
A US defence official told me all staff who were in close contact with the three sailors have been identified and are now being tested for the coronavirus.
This is the first known case of the virus on board a US military ship at sea.
The official wouldn’t disclose the number of people who had been placed in quarantine but did say the warship has around 5,000 people on board.
The three sailors are due to be evacuated from the ship by helicopter to a Department of Defence hospital in the Pacific.The official confirmed that the facility isn’t in the Philippines.
Earlier this month the warship docked in Da Nang, Vietnam, and the sailors were allowed to go ashore, although it hasn’t been confirmed where they contracted the virus.

Quarantine among quokkas for 800 cruise passengers

Following the Ruby Princess debacle in Sydney, Western Australia has effectively banned cruise ships from docking in Perth.
Eight hundred Australian passengers on cruise liner Vasco de Gama, due to arrive on Friday, will now be quarantined on nearby Rottnest Island - best known as home to the quokka, a famously cute marsupial.
Foreign passengers, however, will have to stay on board until they can be flown out directly, said Premier Mark McGowan.
The state has also blocked two other cruise ships from docking. The Magnifica and Artana have both reported unwell passengers on board.

Singapore's surgical knife 'lockdown'?

As India joins several other countries around the world in imposing a total lockdown, here in Singapore the government has been taking a more delicate approach.
We're seeing a second spike in cases caused by returning residents infected with the virus, and in recent days authorities have swiftly and progressively introduced social distancing measures.
The latest round was announced last night - all bars, nightclubs, cinemas, theatres and tuition centres must close, religious services are suspended, and people cannot meet in groups larger than 10. But schools remain open, as do malls, shops and restaurants.
You could call it a surgical knife "lockdown", where the government methodically carves out areas of public life to shut down, while still maintaining some semblance of normality.
Singaporeans for the most part have calmly complied, even as day by day our lives are becoming increasingly restricted.But don't call it an actual lockdown - at least to the leaders' faces. In a press briefing last night, the minister overseeing the government's coronavirus taskforce Lawrence Wong rejected suggestions that Singapore was entering a lockdown

Diamond Princess leaves Japan

Remember the Diamond Princess? That's the cruise ship in Japan which at one time had the biggest coronavirus cluster outside China.
The Japanese city of Yokohama on Wednesday said the cruise ship would leave the port later today.
In early February, the vessel was quarantined in Yokohama and remained on lockdown for nearly a month. In the end, more than 700 of the 3,711 passengers and crew were infected, and at least 20 of those have died.
Since then, a number of cruise ships around the world have had coronavirus infections or been blocked from ports.
The latest cruise ship drama is the Ruby Princess.

Conflict-torn Libya confirms first coronavirus case

Libya's Centre for Disease Control has announced the North African country’s first confirmed case of coronavirus.
This comes after both the internationally-recognised government in Tripoli and the rival administration in the east of the country imposed strict travel measures, shutting their air space and land borders last week.
Libya has been torn by conflict since Nato-backed forces overthrew long-serving ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

'Only go to work if you can't do it from home'

That's the message from UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who said Britons should only leave home to go to work "where absolutely necessary and [it] cannot be done from home".
Pictures on Tuesday showed workers in London packed tightly together in Tube carriages, despite warnings that people should keep two metres paprt.
The mayor of London Sadiq Khan called for people to stop packing into trains, saying "stop Tube travel or more will die". Last week, a number of stations were closed and services reduced, which has exacerbated the congestion.
More than 130 people have died in London from Covid-19 - a third of the whole of the UK total.

Facebook sees massive surge on video calls

Facebook has seen usage across its platforms surge in countries that have brought in virus lockdowns.
Italy - with some of the toughest restrictions - has seen the biggest rise, with group video calls rocketing by more than 1,000% in the last month.
The social media giant said total messaging traffic on all its platforms had increased 50% on average across the hardest hit countries.

Barbecue-goers defy new rules

The barbecue most go on?
That was clearly the aim for 20 people in the English city of Coventry, who stood "shoulder to shoulder" for a barbecue - despite the government ordering an end to gatherings of more than two people.
They refused to disperse even after police reminded them of the new measures. Officers eventually had to tip the barbecue over to put an end to the party.

US lawmakers agree deal

The Senate and White House have reached a deal on a $2 trillion stimulus package for the US economy.
"At last, we have a deal," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, citing the massive "wartime level of investment into our nation".
The Senate and House of Representatives still need to pass the legislation before sending it to President Donald Trump for his signature.

A breakdown of the virus in India - more than 500 cases

India is now reporting 512 active Covid-19 cases, but some states have been hit worse than others.
The first case was in Kerala, a southern state with a robust public health system - a student from Wuhan university tested positive at the end of January, and has since recovered.
But a month on, Kerala has the highest number of infections at 109, followed by Maharashtra, which has 101.
Cases across India have spiked in the last week.
Rajasthan, a popular tourist destination, where 16 Italians tested positive in early March has reported 32 cases, but the BBC's Soutik Biswas reports that one of its cities could be a virus hotspot

'Significant milestone' as Hubei edges out of lockdown

As we've mentioned, China's Hubei has resumed its first transport links with the rest of the country as the province where the coronavirus outbreak started emerges from months of lock down.
Trains are now leaving Hubei province but not yet Wuhan city; it’s the same story with flights, though several large airports remain closed.
Chinese television has carried images of residents cheering as roadblocks came down, allowing people who’ve been cooped-up for months to finally drive out of the province.
The lockdown in Hubei is being lifted in stages. The worse hit city of Wuhan won’t re-establish transport links until the 8th of April and only those with health clearance are being allowed to travel.
However, the re-opening of Hubei to the outside world is seen as a significant milestone in China where the coronavirus emergency appears to be under control, at least for the time being.

'Extremely likely' Greta Thunberg had virus

Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg says it is "extremely likely" that she had the Covid-19 virus.
In an Instagram post, the teenager who inspired climate strikes across the world, said she had felt ill after she and her father returned from a trip around Europe.
She said she had "shivers, sore throat and cough" and decided to self-isolate. She has now "basically recovered".
She called on young people to take the virus seriously, saying their actions could be "the difference between life and death for many others".

South Korea to send test kits to US

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has revealed that the US has asked South Korea to provide coronavirus testing kits.
He made the remarks during a visit to a Covid-19 test kit supplier in the capital Seoul. He said his government was getting ready to export testing kits around the world.
“Yesterday, the US President Donald Trump made a request to us for the urgent provision of test kits and quarantine products," President Moon said.
The presidential office said that the South Korean leader told Mr Trump that his administration is willing to send the supplies if spare equipment is available.

UK Parliament 'to close' on Wednesday

Several sources have told the BBC that the UK Parliament will close tonight, after the emergency laws to deal with the coronavirus crisis have been passed and granted royal assent.
MPs will vote on whether to close Parliament later, with the plan to return on 21 April.

Japan reels from Olympics delay decision

In Japan the questions and recrimination have begun over who is going to pay the cost of delaying the Olympic Games by a year. According to some Japanese newspapers that cost could be as high as $6bn (£5.1bn). Tens of thousands of hotel bookings will be cancelled.
But, they claim, the International Olympic Committee will not lose a penny. Japan will have to bear the whole cost itself.
Others question why on Monday the Japanese Olympic committee said there would be no decision for another month, and then a day later suddenly announced the Games were being moved. Was the decision forced on Japan by the Olympic Committee?
Most ordinary Japanese people seem to have accepted that a delay was inevitable. Opinion polls before the announcement showed 70% thought the Games could not go ahead because of the Covid-19 pandemic. But on social media many are now asking whether a delay of one year will be enough – and whether the decision was based on scientific data – or on politics.
Some have already pointed out that Shinzo Abe will have to step down as Prime Minister in September 2021.

UK prisoners may be freed to ease pressure

Some prisoners in England and Wales could be released temporarily in a bid to ease pressure on jails.
Around 3,500 prison staff have taken time off work - the majority of them sick or self-isolating. Many prisons in the country are already overcrowded as it is.
Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said releasing some inmates could help "alleviate" pressures.
He said he was looking "very carefully" at whether 50 pregnant prisoners could be released, adding that around 9,000 inmates who are awaiting trial could be transferred to bail hostels.

Hand sanitiser factory 'up and running' in days

UK chemical giant Ineos is set to build a plant within about 10 days dedicated to hand sanitiser near Middlesbrough. It’s thought that it will produce one million bottles a month.
Tom Crotty, the firm’s director, spoke to the BBC’s Today programme.
“We already make the fundamental raw material, ethanol, at one of our sites. It was apparent that there just wasn’t enough gel in the market for people to get - certainly not enough for the NHS, but even on the supermarket shelves. So why not make the gel ourselves, bottle it and get it out there?”
He added: “We already have expertise in this area, we have a spare building we can use, we’re installing the new kit as we speak and we’re hoping to have production up and running within those 10 days.
“Normally, we’d spend six months researching a market. But we’ve done none of that - we thought let’s just start and see how it goes."

Malaysia extends lockdown

Malaysia will extend its two-week lockdown and is also planning another stimulus package to help its economy.
The country is already the worst-hit one in south east Asia and the number of confirmed infections continues to grow.
With another 172 positive tests, the total number confirmed cases is now just under 1,800. The country closed its borders last week, cut down internal movement and shut down all schools and non-essential businesses until end of March. The extension will now take that to 14 April.
Malaysia has recorded 17 virus deaths so far. Most of the positive tests have been linked to a religious gathering in February, which had more than 16,000 people attending.

9:16

Tube carriages remain 'squashed'

London Underground passengers have been complaining about carriages being crowded again this morning despite continued warnings to limit non-essential travel.
One passenger - a senior nurse named Danny - posted on Twitter: “Another busy tube. Can we not stagger people’s start times so we aren’t all squashed on the same tube!"
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said early data from Wednesday morning suggested Tube travel was down a third compared to yesterday.
He added that a third of Transport for London staff, including drivers, were off sick or self-isolating, meaning the service couldn't run any more trains.

Worsening outbreak - the latest in Europe

European governments have put in place strict measures to stop the spread of coronavirus. But there are fears still more needs to be done, as the outbreak continues to worsen across the continent.
Here are the latest developments

• Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will today ask parliament to extend the country's state of emergency for another two weeks to 11 April. Spain's infection numbers and the death toll have soared in recent days, making it the worst affected European country after Italy. Worryingly, more than 5,000 of its 40,000 confirmed cases are healthcare workers.
  
• France: On Tuesday, France became the fifth country to suffer more than 1,000 deaths since the outbreak began. And Jerome Salomon, the country's top health official, has warned that the number could be even higher - the 1,100 confirmed total only counts people who died in hospitals. Scientific advisers say the strict lockdown measures are the only effective tool, and want them extended for up to six weeks, from the initial 15 day period.
  
• Italy: The world's worst affected country has increased punishments for breaking its control measures, including fines of thousands of euros and five-year prison terms for anyone who tests positive for the coronavirus and breaks quarantine. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has denied suggestions the lockdown will last until July, saying it will end as soon as possible.
  

Prince Charles tests positive for coronavirus

Prince Charles - the heir to the British throne - has tested positive for coronavirus, according to palace officials.
A little more on the news that Prince Charles has tested positive for coronavirus.
A Palace statement says: "He has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual."
The spokesman says his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, has also been tested but does not have the virus.
The royal couple are now self-isolating at home in Scotland.
The statement added: "It is not possible to ascertain from whom the Prince caught the virus owing to the high number of engagements he carried out in his public role during recent weeks."
Prince Charles attended what is believed to be his most recent public appearance on 12 March.
According to the Court Circular record of the Royal Family's engagements, the Prince of Wales attended a dinner in aid of the Australian Bushfire Appeal at Mansion House in the City of London.
Pictures from the occasion show Prince Charles giving a speech and mingling with attendees.
We also now understand that he met his mother the same day, though precise details of that occasion are unclear. The Queen remains "in good health", according to palace officials.

Jordan eases curfew - the latest in the Middle East

n Jordan, where 153 confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported, the government has eased an indefinite curfew.
Ministers announced on Monday that people would not be permitted to leave their homes and that municipalities would deliver essential goods like bread and water.
But on Tuesday, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said people would now be allowed to leave the homes on foot during the day to go to local grocery shops, bakeries and pharmacies.
In other developments:

• Iran: President Hassan Rouhani has warned that his government is set to impose tough new measures against the coronavirus. He said they would include restrictions on movement and were likely to be “difficult” for the public. Despite being by far the hardest-hit country in the region, Iran has so far resisted lockdowns. It has reported 2,077 deaths linked to Covid-19 and 27,017 cases, although the actual figures are thought to be far higher.
  
• Israel: The government has approved new restrictions that will take effect at 17:00 (15:00 GMT). Israeli media reported that people were likely to be required to stay within 100m (330ft) of their homes. Five people have died In israel and another 2,030 have been infected.
  
• United Arab Emirates: Dubai-based airline Emirates has become the largest international carrier to completely ground its fleet in response to the pandemic. It came after the authorities in the UAE, which has reported 248 confirmed cases and two deaths, closed all its airports.
  

25th March continued ... (Part 2)

How will India protect its poor?

India's 21-day lockdown is unprecedented, confining more than a billion people to their homes.
But the hardest hit will be the country's poor - domestic helpers, street vendors and construction workers.
They make up much of India's labour force, but have no benefits such as health insurance or sick leave.
Several states - including Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state and among its poorest - have announced direct cash transfers, unemployment benefits, free grain and more staples at government-licensed fair-price shops.
But the biggest challenge will be enforcement as so many informal workers don't have bank accounts - many are also migrants, who now find themselves suddenly stranded in cities where they may or may not have access to welfare schemes.

Thousands volunteer to help NHS

There has been a big response to the UK government's call for NHS volunteers with more than 250,000 people so far having registered online.
The scheme is aimed at relieving pressure on the health service by recruiting helpers to deliver food and medicines, drive patients to appointments and phone the isolated.
GoodSam, which is registering volunteers, said the total number of people who had given their details online was now 252,000.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted that he was "delighted" by the level of response.

Brazil's president criticises coronavirus 'hysteria'

As Brazil's largest city - São Paulo - goes into lockdown, President Jair Bolsonaro has continued to downplay the threat of coronavirus.
In a televised speech last night, he criticised the media for "fear-mongering" and called on the country's mayor and governors to roll back restrictions they have introduced to curb the spread.
Mr Bolsonaro added that people aged over 60 were at risk, but most people - including himself - had nothing to fear.
"With my history as an athlete, if I were infected with the virus, I would have no reason to worry, I would feel nothing, or it would be at most just a little flu," he said.
Critics of Mr Bolsonaro have accused him of a cavalier attitude to coronavirus.
Concerns have also been raised about him having possibly contracted the disease. Over the last couple of weeks, 22 officials who joined him on a trip to the US have tested positive. Mr Bolsonaro has twice said that his test came back negative, but he has refused to release the results.
Over 2,200 infections have been reported in Brazil, along with 46 deaths related to coronavirus.

Putin dons protective gear for hospital visit

Russia's President Vladimir Putin put on special protective gear as he visited coronavirus patients at a hospital in Moscow on Tuesday.
Mr Putin has so far declared the outbreak "under control" in Russia.
However, the official number of people infected in Russia rose to 658 on Wednesday - the largest one-day increase in cases so far.
The mayor of Moscow told him during his hospital visit that the number of cases in the Russian capital far exceeded the official figures.
"A serious situation is unfolding," Sergei Sobyanin told the president.
Russia has closed cinemas, nightclubs and children's entertainment venues.
Meanwhile, MPs have proposed imposing severe punishments - including up to seven years in prison and hefty fines - for people breaking coronavirus quarantine rules.

Spain's death toll now exceeding China's

The death toll in Spain from the coronavirus has just officially surpassed that of China to become the second highest in the world.
New data from the Health Ministry shows that there have now been 3,434 deaths in Spain - an increase of 738 in just 24 hours. It is the steepest daily increase in the death toll since the virus hit Spain.
The overall number of cases increased to 47,610 from 39,673 on Tuesday.
Spain is now second only to Italy in the number of coronavirus deaths.
According to data collated by Johns Hopkins University, at least 6,820 people have died in Italy and 3,285 in China.

World’s largest lockdown – the latest in Asia

India is on day one of its lockdown, which prompted panic-buying.
The health ministry says India has 519 Covid-19 cases and nine deaths. Why so low in a country of 1.3bn? Very low testing rates could be to blame, making it a possible pandemic hotspot.
In other developments:

• China's Hubei province is lifting all travel restrictions today – a significant milestone for 60 million people locked down since January. Wuhan - where the global outbreak began - will ease restrictions on 8 April.
  
• South Korea said all arrivals from the US would need to self-isolate for two weeks, from Friday. South Korea's imported cases jumped by 34 to 101 on Tuesday, its biggest single-day rise as it battles a second wave of infections. European arrivals already face a two-week quarantine and virus tests.
  
• Malaysia is extending its two-week lockdown. With just under 1,800 confirmed cases, the country is the worst-hit in south east Asia, recording 17 virus deaths.
  
• Pakistan, which has 991 confirmed cases and seven deaths, said it had recorded its first coronavirus death due to local transmission. The Lahore resident had no travel history.
  
• In Central Asia, people in Uzbekistan face fines for not wearing masks in public and Kazakhstan’s main cities are under quarantine. Meanwhile, Turkmenistan says it has yet to record a single case – perhaps not surprising for one of the most secretive states in the world.
  

Corbyn: When will testing be a priority in UK?

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is now questioning the PM for his last time as leader of the opposition.
At his 136th weekly appearance at Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Corbyn will be allowed to ask 12 questions instead of his usual six, as the length of questioning is doubled for social distancing measures.
He begins by paying tribute to public services, saying they are the "unsung heroes" of this crisis - paying special tribute to cleaners.
Mr Corbyn then pushes the PM on testing, saying a leaked email showed Mr Johnson appealing to research institutes for testing machines just three days ago. He asks: "Why wasn't this done weeks ago?"
After paying tribute to Mr Corbyn on his last appearance, Mr Johnson says the government is increasing testing every day and it has been "a priority ever since the crisis was obviously upon us".

Corbyn: 'Appalling' levels of equipment for NHS staff

After more questions on testing, and calls for help for care workers, Mr Corbyn then asks about protective equipment for NHS staff.
He says the Healthcare Supply Association has been forced to use Twitter to ask DIY shops to donate equipment to NHS staff.
"This is an appalling situation," he adds.
But Mr Johnson says he has been "assured" stocks are on the way, saying the army has distributed 7.5 million pieces of equipment in the past 24 hours.
The Labour leader says it is "important" they get it - and points to a survey where 77% of NHS chiefs said lack of testing and shortages were the two biggest concerns for them.

Greece urged to move 'most vulnerable' from migrant camps

The European Commission has asked the Greek government to move “the most vulnerable people” from packed migrant camps on the Greek islands, to areas that are less concentrated in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
There are currently no confirmed Covid-19 cases in any camps on the islands, or at camps on the Greek mainland, but this is seen as a key area of concern.
More than 42,000 people are now held in overpopulated camps the islands of Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Leros and Kos.
The Greek authorities have recently tightened the rules of movement around the camps, including preventing entry for all but essential staff, as well as carrying out temperature checks for new arrivals.
A spokesman for the European Commission has told the BBC that there is an “ongoing dialogue with the Greek government” over moving the most vulnerable and looking at the best ways to prevent an outbreak.

Lancet editor says UK failed to heed early warnings

The editor of prominent medical journal The Lancet has told UK MPs that the government’s scientific advisers failed to take into account early warnings of the seriousness of the epidemic in China.
Dr Richard Horton told the Science Select Committee that this led to them adopting a “pedestrian approach” in preparing for the epidemic.
Dr Horton said papers from Chinese researchers published in the Lancet at the beginning of the year showed that the NHS was likely to be overwhelmed by cases. He said February was a “missed opportunity” to buy protective equipment and increase NHS capacity.
The government’s chief scientific and medical officers say they have drawn on advice from leading experts around the world – including from China.
One of the government’s leading advisers, Professor Neil Ferguson, said his modelling indicated that the NHS should be able to cope with the surge if people followed current government advice.

Corbyn: Construction workers putting people at risk

We are now moving to the second half of an extended Prime Minister's Questions in the UK Parliament, which means another six questions from the outgoing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
He begins by criticising Boris Johnson for not coming to the Commons to make regular statements, instead using press conferences, saying: "This House is the place the government should be held to account."
The Labour leader then moves onto the controversial decision to keep construction sites open, telling the story of a self-employed construction worker who had to go into work, despite having coronavirus, "as he had no other source of income to feed his family".
Mr Johnson says: "Everyone should work at home unless they cannot."
He also calls on employers to only remain open "in accordance with guidance" and reminds them "they have duty of care to employees".

Intensive care unit demand to peak in 'two-and-a-half to three weeks'

Demand on intensive care units in the UK will peak in “two-and-a-half to three weeks’ time” if current measures for tackling the coronavirus outbreak work, says a top epidemiologist advising the government.
Professor Neil Ferguson told a British parliamentary committee he was “moderately confident” the demand would then decline.
“If the current measures work as we would expect them to then we will see intensive care unit demand peak in approximately two-and-a-half to three weeks' time and then decline thereafter," he said.
Deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries says this will only happen “if people have continued to do as we have asked and cut down their social interactions”.
“That means the peak will be pushed forward but the height of it will be lower and we can manage all those who need hospital and healthcare safely through our NHS,” she told a Mumsnet webchat.

Canada backs $57bn coronavirus relief bill

Canada's multi-billion-dollar relief package to respond to the coronavirus slowdown has passed in the House of Commons.
It allows the government to spend C$82bn ($57bn, £48bn) in emergency aid and economic stimulus.
The bill received approval on Wednesday with support from all parties.
It must now go to the Senate for approval.
Legislators passed the package, worth about 3% of the country's GDP, after a debate that went into the early morning hours.

Corbyn: 'Urgent action' needed on UK benefits

Jeremy Corbyn says he is "not asking for the entire UK economy to close down", but wants more resources to be given to support the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure people get the help they need.
He calls for a rise in the weekly statutory sick pay of around £94, saying: "Unless we increase [sick pay] and give protection and access to benefits for those on zero-hour contracts, then there is a danger of those people going into work or trying to work when they shouldn't. We do need urgent action."
Boris Johnson agrees it is a time for "serious action", and says there has been a "serious response to the crisis" from the government.
Mr Corbyn also reiterates his plea for the government to remain open to scrutiny, even after Parliament closes.
The PM says the government has tried to be "as open and transparent as we can" and he will work with the Speaker on how to keep MPs in the loop.

Corbyn: 'Huge collective effort' needed from society

In his final contribution to PMQs as the leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn tells the Commons the coronavirus crisis has shown "how deeply we depend on each other".
He says the wealthiest businessman will depend on the cleaner keeping his office safe, adding: "We can only come through this as a huge collective effort. No one is an island, no one is self made."
Mr Corbyn concludes: "At times like this, we have to recognise the value of each other and the strength of a society that cares for each other and cares for all."
Boris Johnson says he wants to associate himself fully with the Labour leader's comments.
He adds: "We are coming together as a nation like I haven't seen in a lifetime.... to help save the lives of many, many thousands of our citizens.
"We all understand that we will need to make a sacrifice, but we are gladly making that sacrifice."

UK Parliament to close today

Prime Minister's Questions has come to an end and Leader of the House, Jacob Rees-Mogg, is making a business statement.
He confirms what we expected - that the UK Parliament will finish for its Easter Break today, rather than on Tuesday 31 March as planned.
Mr Rees-Mogg says the "aim" is for MPs to return to work on 21 April, but he will "keep the situation under review in terms of medical advice".

Coronavirus in Latin America - latest updates

As the virus continues to spread across the continent, here are the latest updates from the region:

• Colombia begins a period of “mandatory preventive isolation” today meaning people all over the country will have to stay in their homes. Exceptions include medical appointments, shopping for essential goods like food, medicine and cleaning products, and going to the bank.
  

• Paraguay is the latest Latin American country to close its borders. The government announced on Tuesday that they would remain sealed until Sunday following a second death in the country from coronavirus.
  

• Mexico has called on businesses to stop employment that involves the movement of people from their homes to their workplaces. The country has entered the second stage of coronavirus transmission, meaning it has detected a case that has been passed from person to person locally, rather than coming from abroad.
  

• Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro has criticised the media for "fear-mongering" and has called on mayors and governors to roll back restrictions they have introduced to curb the spread. Mr Bolsonaro added that people aged over 60 were at risk, but most people - including himself - had nothing to fear. Over 2,200 cases of the virus have been reported in the country. The president has been accused of having a cavalier attitude to the pandemic.
  

Federer donates money

Tennis star Roger Federer is the latest celebrity to donate money towards coronavirus causes.
The 38-year-old, considered one of the greatest sportspeople of all time, and his wife Mirka, have donated 1m swiss francs (about £861,000) to “vulnerable families in Switzerland”.
“Nobody should be left behind,” the 20-time Grand Slam winner wrote on Instagram. “Our contribution is just a start. We hope that others might join in supporting more families in need. Together we can overcome this crisis! Stay healthy!”
Married actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynonds previously gave $1m to US and Canadian foodbanks.
Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation donated $5m to various charities to help with medical supplies, equipment and access to food.

Help for UK self-employed to be announced on Thursday

During Prime Minister's Questions, Boris Johnson faced even more pressure to introduce measures to help self-employed people in the UK during this crisis.
Well, the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg says it is on its way.
She says the chancellor will announce the new measures at the government's daily press conference on Thursday.
But there is no detail yet on how the government plans to assist this section of the economy.

Corporation to 'pause' BBC News job cuts

In a briefing to staff this afternoon, BBC Director-General Tony Hall said that a planned modernisation of BBC News would be “paused”. This was due to contribute £40m of savings, toward an overall target of £80m.
The DG said it would be inappropriate to pursue this target while BBC News was so stretched in covering the pandemic. As a result, around 450 planned redundancies will be delayed.
While these savings will probably be implemented under Hall’s successor (he leaves at the end of the summer), the BBC is racking up a huge bill because of coronavirus. It has already said it will delay changes to free TV Licences for the over-75s by two months (at least) – and absorb that cost, which is coincidentally around £80m (at least).
The next Director-General is going to inherit an even bigger financial black hole that she or he imagined. However, negotiations with a government that had threatened to “whack” the BBC may be made marginally easier if the BBC – like other public service broadcasters – can prove its worth through this crisis.

Vietnam steps up propaganda campaign

The Vietnamese government has launched a war-like media campaign to suppress the coronavirus outbreak - despite the fact that there has been no officially reported death in the 95-million nation.
Top leaders like PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc are calling on the people to support “the Spring Offensive in a long war” against Covid-19.
The language clearly reminds older citizens of the anti-American “Spring Offensive” in 1975 by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces, leading to the Communist victory in Saigon in April that year.
This dramatic language is also a hint that the virus may have spread across Vietnam.
Official confirmed cases have remained frozen at 113 for some time - but Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam said the country “must be ready to accept thousands of coronavirus patients” in the coming months.
Vietnam has already stopped all foreign nationals from entering the country, and from 24 March even overseas Vietnamese cannot fly back home until further notice.

New restrictions in London on the Tube

New measures have been brought in to stop non-essential London Underground journeys, as passengers posted pictures of crowded carriages again this morning.
Queues are being introduced at ticket gates and some escalators are being turned off to slow the flow of passengers to platforms.
British Transport Police is also deploying 500 officers to patrol the network and remind the public that they should only be making essential journeys for work. Read more here

What's the latest in the US?

As the US wakes up, here's a quick summary of the latest headlines from around the country:

• The White House and the Senate have agreed a huge stimulus package worth more than $1.8 trillion (£1.5tn) to help ease the economic impact of the virus
  
• While the full details of the deal aren't yet known, it reportedly includes payments of $1,200 to most American adults and aid to help small businesses pay their workers
  
• It also includes tax rebates, loans, money for hospitals and rescue packages
  
• The deal was announced shortly after President Trump said he hoped the US would shake off the coronavirus by Easter, but experts have sounded caution on that timeline
  
• New York state remains at the centre of the US crisis. Governor Andrew Cuomo has warned that the illness is spreading faster than "a bullet train" in the state
  

• And after 802 deaths and 55,225 confirmed infections, America is more than midway through a 15-day attempt to slow the spread of the virus through social distancing
  
• Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that it could become the new epicentre of the virus
  

Holland reports 80 more deaths

Dutch authorities have confirmed 80 more virus-related deaths in the country during the last 24 hours. They also confirmed 852 additional cases.
This latest figures bring the total to 6,412 cases and 356 deaths in the country of 17 million.
The Netherlands' health ministry stressed the actual number of infections will be higher because not everyone has been tested.
A ban on public gatherings has been extended until 1 June to help fight the Netherlands' outbreak.

Quarter of the world now under lockdown

India’s decision to enforce a lockdown on its 1.3 billion people means that at least a quarter of the world’s population of 7.8 billion is now living under tough restrictions on movement and social contact.
From Rwanda to California and New York to New Zealand, the coronavirus has shut down large parts of our planet – leaving normally heaving streets deserted and towering office blocks empty.
And there’s more to come – about half the US population are believed to be living under stay at home orders and measures are expected in further states. From midnight on Thursday, all South Africans will have to stay at home for a 21-day period.
Over the last few weeks, you will have kept hearing that the coronavirus crisis has changed the world. The fact that so many of you reading this will be doing so from home, because you’ve been told to stay inside, is perhaps the starkest illustration of how this has affected all of us.
The public will soon be able to conduct coronavirus antibody tests at home, the director of the national infection service at Public Health England says.
Prof Sharon Peacock told the science and technology MPs' committee that 3.5 million tests had been bought and would be available in the "near future".
She said the tests would allow key workers, such as doctors and nurses, to return to work if they have developed antibodies.
"Once we are assured that they do work, they will be rolled out into the community. Testing the test is a small matter, and I anticipate that it will be done by the end of this week," Prof Peacock said.
"In the near future, people will be able to order a test that they can test themselves, or go to Boots, or somewhere similar to have their finger prick test done."
Asked if tests would be available in days, rather than weeks or months, she added: "Absolutely."
Antibodies are produced by the body to fight off infection, and tests could indicate whether someone has had the disease in the past.
These tests could also help work out how widespread the disease has been.

Deaths rise in the UK

A further six people with coronavirus in Scotland have died, taking the total number of deaths there to 22.
There have also been five more deaths in Wales, raising the toll there to 22, and a further two in Northern Ireland - which has now recorded seven deaths in total.
The figures for England, and the UK as a whole, will be released later. On Tuesday, the number of deaths in the UK stood at 433.

UK not part of EU effort to secure equipment

The UK government has confirmed it is not working with the European Union (EU) to secure more personal protective equipment and ventilators for the NHS.
Asked whether the UK was taking part in the Brussels scheme, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said: "I think the short answer to that is no."
The EU has been working for weeks to acquire crucial equipment - like face masks and other medical products - since the coronavirus epidemic spread to the continent earlier this year.

Are food deliveries and takeaways safe?

Many of us are wondering about the risk of catching coronavirus from anything we touch - including food and packaging.
However, there is no evidence of Covid-19 being transmitted through food.
And while there is no such thing as "zero risk", says Prof Sally Bloomfield from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, it is only the packaging - handled by other people - that would be of concern for potential transmission of the virus.
For takeaway food, you can minimise that risk, Prof Bloomfield advises, by: "Emptying the contents, disposing of the packaging into a refuse bag and washing your hands - thoroughly for 20 seconds with soap and water - before you eat."
How safe are delivered groceries?
Deliveries are far less risky than a trip to the supermarket, because the risk of transmission comes from surfaces – when a person with contaminated hands touches a surface, they can transfer the virus onto it.
So shopping for a vulnerable neighbour and delivering food to them would mean they could avoid that risky environment.
"We know that coronavirus does not 'breed' outside the body, so by the time [food] is delivered, any chance of infectivity is already lower because the virus starts to lose its infectivity as soon as it leaves the infected person," says Prof Bloomfield.
She suggests spraying or wiping plastic or glass containers with carefully diluted household bleach.
"For fresh goods - which were unwrapped when you brought them and could be handled by anyone - wash thoroughly under running water and leave to dry," she adds.
"It may be better for the moment, if possible, to stick to freshly cooked rather than raw foods, which will destroy any residual virus."

'We're asking the country to help us'

Here are some more updates from Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York state - which has almost half of all cases in the US.

• Crowds forming in New York City's parks has been a problem - as a result, the city is going to pilot closing certain streets to cars, so that pedestrians can use them.
  
• Mr Cuomo said he had spoken to President Donald Trump, and White House officials, several times. He has asked the White House for more essential equipment and personnel, as "our apex is first and our numbers are the highest", and pledged to redeploy equipment and personnel to the next hot spot "as soon as we get past our critical moment... we're asking the country to help us - we will return the favour".
  
• He reminded young people to stay cautious. "I've been as blunt as I can... you may think you're a superhero, but you can catch it and you can transfer it."
  
• He also asked mental health professionals to sign up to provide services online, saying: "No one's really talking about that. Don't underestimate the emotional trauma people are feeling."
  
• Mr Cuomo said the $2tn (£1.7tn) stimulus bill agreed in the Senate would be "terrible" for New York, as the state had already spent $3.8bn combating the outbreak, and would only receive $1.3bn from the bill.
  

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UN pleas for $2bn in aid for vulnerable countries

The United Nations has launched a huge humanitarian funding drive to help fight Covid-19 in the most vulnerable countries.
It is asking all states that can, to contribute to $2bn (£1.7bn) in cash for nations that will struggle to contain the outbreak.
The world body says a number of those countries are already devastated by conflict or natural disasters.
"To leave the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries to their fate would be both cruel and unwise," warned the UN's Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, Mark Lowcock.
"If we leave coronavirus to spread freely in these places, we would be placing millions at high risk, whole regions will be tipped into chaos and the virus will have the opportunity to circle back around the globe."
It is hoped that the extra funds raised will provide vulnerable countries with laboratory test equipment, handwashing facilities in refugee camps and an airbridge for humanitarian workers to get to the worst affected areas.

Doctor explains risks facing healthcare staff

Doctors around the world are battling against the new coronavirus, putting their own lives at greater risk in a bid to cure patients.
We've spoken to Dr Michelle Au, an anaesthesiologist in the US state of Georgia whose work now includes putting breathing tubes into patients infected with Covid-19.
She said that she and many other healthcare professionals are "basically behaving with the assumption that many of us will get it".
She told the BBC that a shortage of vital equipment means that masks intended for single use are currently being used until they are "visibly soiled or we can't breathe through them anymore, or the elastic breaks".
Dr Au recently moved into her basement to separate herself from her family, and she and her husband - who is also a doctor - are making changes to their will.
"You're very aware of the risks, but you're also very aware of the duty to your job. It doesn't make you not want to do it but you're aware constantly of the risk," she said.

Assange coronavirus bail request denied

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been denied bail from a British prison after his lawyers said he was at particular risk of catching the new coronavirus.
Assange suffered several respiratory tract infections while in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, his defence said, and if he caught the virus in prison "the risk could be fatal".
But the judge at Westminster Magistrates' Court rejected the request, saying the Australian's past efforts to evade legal proceedings showed he might try to escape again if released.
"As matters stand today, this global pandemic does not as of itself provide grounds for Mr Assange's release," Judge Vanessa Baraitser said.
Currently in London's Belmarsh prison, Assange is wanted for questioning in the US for allegedly hacking and publishing military databases. The 48-year-old says the charges are politically motivated.

How does the UK approach stack up against others?

Chris Morris - BBC Reality Check
It often feels like Italy and Spain are doing things much more rigorously and radically than in the UK.
But if you look at the rules in Italy, you can leave to go out for work if you have to, for medical reasons, to buy food, or go to the pharmacy. It doesn’t sound that dissimilar from what we have here.
The key difference is the enforcement of the rules. If you go out in Italy, you need to be carrying a piece of paper to specify why you’re out. The police are stopping people regularly. There are fines being issued.
In Spain, as of last night, there have been 926 arrests, 102,000 police reports filed for disobeying the rules and roughly 81,000 fines have been issued. If people under quarantine go out there's the potential of jail sentences.
We know that level of enforcement is something UK police are reluctant to get into. One of the key issues is how well the encouraging language works - the government saying we're all enlisting in a national effort.
If that works, the police won’t have to get as involved as they have in Spain and Italy.

Work begins on London's makeshift field hospital

Work is under way to boost NHS capacity by turning London's ExCel Centre in the Docklands into a makeshift field hospital capable of serving up to 4,000 patients.
NHS medics will treat coronavirus patients at the facility, which will be known as the Nightingale Hospital.
It will initially provide about 500 beds equipped with ventilators and oxygen.

• Read more here
  

Italy sees slight fall in new cases

Away from the UK, Italy has reported another 683 deaths in the past 24 hours and a further 5,210 cases. That is a slight fall from Tuesday's 743 deaths, but it brings to 7,503 the number of people who have died in Italy since the outbreak there began.
Details are normally given by Italy's head of civil protection, Angelo Borrelli, but he has a mild fever.

Whitty: Antibody virus test 'quite close'

Boris Johnson defends the government's programme to support businesses, calling it "unprecedented".
He says the country is "coping very well indeed" under challenging circumstances.
Asked about the rate of testing in the UK, Prof Chris Whitty, the UK government’s chief medical adviser, says testing of people to determine whether they have the virus is being "ramped up".
He says an antibody test - to see whether people have had it - is "quite close", but has not yet finished being evaluated.
Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, says testing is "crucial" and the UK needs to do more of it.

'We don't know UK-wide infection rate'

Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, is asked about a recent Oxford University study which said as much as 50% of the UK population may have been exposed to the virus.
He says that they "don't know" yet how many people in the UK have had the virus, which is why more testing is vital.

We've ordered huge numbers of tests, says UK PM

There's a question about how long it will be before NHS staff will get greater access to coronavirus tests.
In reply, Boris Johnson says the UK is ordering "huge numbers of tests". He says UK-wide testing should hit 250,000 "very soon".
Prof Chris Whitty, the UK government's chief medical adviser, says the UK has to face the "practical reality" that other countries want the components as well.
The prime minister says the UK has done more tests than "most" European countries.

Johnson: Employers should protect you

The PM is asked if more lives could be saved if he stopped more people going to work.
Mr Johnson says he wants to "repeat the basic message, if you can stay at home then you overwhelmingly should".
But he says for those who have to go to work, it is "vital" for employers to follow rules on social distancing and "ensure" the necessary protection.
Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty says every country is approaching this “slightly differently and has a slightly different epidemic pattern”.
But he says the modelling in the UK was “based on the idea quite a lot of people would have to go to work”.
However, he adds that people should avoid anything that is “discretionary”.

Johnson: More tricky to help self-employed

Boris Johnson again faces pressure to do something to help the self-employed.
The PM says the government has “moved with extraordinary speed to support and prop up the whole of the economy of this country, putting our arms around workers of all kinds to the best extent we possibly can”.
He admits it was “easiest” to help employees and more “tricky” to work out a package for the self-employed.
“But that has been done at incredible speed,” adds the PM, promising that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will make an announcement on the plan tomorrow.
He adds: “I don't think there has been a time in our history in the last century that a government of this country has put its arms around so many people to get through such a tough time.”
Mr Johnson concludes the press conference saying: “We will beat this and we will beat this together, and we will do it by protecting our NHS and staying at home. That is how we will save lives."

Whitty: Tests won't be available online next week

There has been talk of antibody tests being available to buy online. These tests would allow people to see if they have been infected - meaning they should then be immune.
Chief medical officer Chris Whitty says: “Once we are confident of which tests work… there is a hierarchy of things we need to do.”
First, experts will need to assess what proportion of people get coronavirus without any syptoms, he says.
Then it will be a case of testing NHS workers to “work out who is immune to this infection and who isn’t”, then moving from there to others.
But Prof Whitty adds: “I do not think this is something we will suddenly be ordering online for next week."

Firms should stop profiteering, says PM

In response to a question about his strategy, Boris Johnson says the UK will follow scientific advice not "political diktat".
Asked about firms profiteering during the crisis, he says firms should not be "exploiting" the needs of the public at a time of "national emergency".
He says the government is "looking very carefully" at what it "may be necessary to do" using the law to stop profiteering, "as in wartime".

British diplomat, 37, dies of coronavirus

A British diplomat has died in Hungary after contracting coronavirus.
Steven Dick, the deputy ambassador in the capital, Budapest, was aged 37.
Mr Dick, an Arabic speaker who had worked for some years in Kabul and Riyadh, took up his post in Hungary last year.
It is not known if he had any underlying medical conditions.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: "I am desperately saddened by the news of Steven’s death and my heart goes out to his parents Steven and Carol.
"Steven was a dedicated diplomat and represented his country with great skill and passion. He will be missed by all those who knew him and worked with him."

What happened at the latest UK press conference?

Boris Johnson’s latest press briefing on the UK’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has come to an end. Here’s what happened:

• The PM revealed that 405,000 people had volunteered to help the NHS following a call from the government
  
• He warned firms against profiteering during times of shortage and said the government might use the law to stop it
  
• The UK government's chief medical adviser said there was a "bottleneck" in ramping up testing amid global demand
  
• He said an antibody test - to see if people had had the virus - was being developed but would not be online next week
  
• He added the UK's modelling on the spread of the virus was based on "quite a lot of people" still having to go in to work
  

What's the latest from Africa?

Let's take a look at what's happening in other parts of the world now.
Charges of attempted murder in South Africa and a man killed by a crocodile while defying Rwanda's lockdown are some of the developments in Africa.
The continent may only have around 2,000 recorded cases, but countries with weak health systems are preparing for the worst:

• A 52-year-old hair salon owner in South Africa has been charged with attempted murder for defying a doctor’s order to self-quarantine in the town of Ladysmith, police say. He had tested positive and had put the lives of others at risk, police said, adding that he had been detained in hospital
  
• Meanwhile, South Africans have been panic buying ahead of a three-week lockdown that comes into force for its 50 million citizens on Friday
  
• In Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria, all markets and shops have been closed, except for those selling food and medicine. Meanwhile, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has hit out at preachers in the country, Africa's most-populous, for flouting rules about social distancing and large gatherings
  
• In Rwanda, a man who went to a river, apparently to fish in defiance of a lockdown, has been eaten by a crocodile, a local official has told the BBC
  
• Libya and Mali, both conflict-hit countries, have recorded their first cases of the virus
  
• Jean-Joseph Mukendi wa Mulumba, a top human rights lawyers in the Democratic Republic of Congo and an aide to the president, has died of Covid-19
  
• In Zimbabwe, doctors and nurses are refusing to work until they can access protective clothing while on duty because of fears over coronavirus infection
  
• Ethiopia is to release more than 4,000 prisoners to contain the spread of the virus in jails
  

Latest developments in Europe

It's been another dramatic day in Europe, with infection rates and death tolls rising rapidly in many countries. Here's what you need to know:

• Spain’s death toll surpassed China's, becoming the second highest in the world after Italy. The country saw its steepest daily spike in deaths - up by 738 in just 24 hours to a total of 3,434. Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo is among those who have tested positive for the virus. She was admitted to hospital on Sunday
  

• Italy reported another 683 deaths in the past 24 hours and 5,210 more cases. That is slightly lower than Tuesday's tally of 743 deaths, but takes the total to 7,503. The figures are normally given at a daily press conference by Italy's head of civil protection, Angelo Borrelli, but he has a mild fever
  
• Russia's President Vladimir Putin postponed the public vote on constitutional changes that would allow him to stay in office, but gave no details about when it would take place. He also announced new measures to combat the virus, telling all except key workers to stay at home for a week. Meanwhile, Moscow officials said two elderly coronavirus patients had died. They did not, however, cite the virus as the cause of death. Russia has not yet confirmed any deaths from Covid-19. Latest figures show a rapid rise in infections in the country
  

• Germany's parliament approved a huge rescue package to protect the country’s economy. The measures – worth 750 billion euros (£688bn; $813bn) – include support for workers, direct cash grants for small firms and self-employed people, and financial support for families. The programme is being funded by taking on new debt, which is something Germany hasn’t done in years
  

• Poland has extended the closure of its borders by 20 days until 13 April. Goods will still be able to move freely across the borders, the country’s government says
  

Palestinians report first death - latest from the Middle East

The first Palestinian has died as a result of Covid-19. The woman, who was in her 60s, was a resident of Bidu, near Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority said.
Sixty-two confirmed cases have been reported in the occupied West Bank and two in the Gaza Strip.
In other developments in the region:

• In Israel, where five people have died and another 2,030 have been infected, the government has approved new restrictions to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. People will be required to stay within 100m (330ft) of their homes; prayer will only be allowed in open spaces; and public transport will be reduced to a quarter of its usual capacity
  
• The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem - where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected - was closed on Wednesday as a precaution against the coronavirus
  

• Testing has started in opposition-held north-western Syria after the World Health Organization delivered 300 kits. The government has meanwhile imposed a 12-hour overnight curfew in areas under its control and closed all borders, a day after it confirmed the first Covid-19 case in the war-torn country
  
• Saudi Arabia has reported its second death and tightened a 21-day nationwide curfew that started on Monday. People will now be stopped from entering or leaving the capital Riyadh and the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina
  
• In Egypt, a two-week partial curfew keeping people off the streets between 19:00 and 06:00 has taken effect. There was also an extension of school closures until mid-April. The country has reported 402 cases of Covid-19 and 20 deaths
  

NHS worker makes emotional 'stay at home' plea

An NHS worker's emotional plea for people to stay at home has been shared thousands of times.
In an emotional video, Chanice Cushion says she will leave her family home to protect her mother-in-law who has an underlying condition.
"I really thought I could put across to people you really need to stay indoors - this is serious," she tells the BBC.

25th March continued ... (Part 3)

Global death toll passes 20,000 - Johns Hopkins

The global death toll has now passed 20,000, according to data compiled by John Hopkins University. 
The number of confirmed cases has exceeded 451,000, the US university reports.
It started tracking the coronavirus outbreak soon after it emerged in China late last year.

Irish postal staff to check on elderly

Postal delivery workers in the Republic of Ireland are to check on elderly and vulnerable people as part of their rounds.
They will knock on doors to find out if people in those groups need food or medication, and make sure those requests are fulfilled, the Irish postal system An Post has confirmed.
They will also deliver parcels and letters from the elderly and vulnerable - about 160,000 homes - for free.
Each home in the Irish Republic will get a Covid-19 public information booklet through the post.
The UK’s Royal Mail has not implemented any similar systems but says it "takes the health and safety of its colleagues, its customers and the local communities in which we operate very seriously".

News summary: What you need to know

If you're just joining us, here's a quick summary of the latest headlines as countries around the world work to slow the spread of coronavirus:

• The number of people who have tested positive for the virus worldwide has passed 400,000, with more than 20,000 recorded deaths. But more than 100,000 people have now recovered
  
• A quarter of the world's population is living under some form of lockdown. That figure surged when India - the world's second most populous country - imposed a strict lockdown on its 1.3bn citizens at midnight
  
• Southern Europe remains at the epicentre of the pandemic. Spain's death toll has surpassed China's, where the virus originated, and Italy reported another 683 deaths
  
• In the US, the White House and the Senate have agreed a huge stimulus package worth more than $1.8 trillion (£1.5tn) to help ease the economic impact of the virus
  
• New York state is at the centre of the crisis there, but its governor says social distancing measures appear to be working
  
• In the UK, some 405,000 people have signed up in 24 hours to volunteer with the National Health Service (NHS) to help vulnerable people
  
• Meanwhile, Prince Charles, the 71-year-old heir to the throne, has tested positive for the virus
  
• The number of coronavirus deaths in the UK now stands at 440, with figures from England due imminently
  

France reports 231 new deaths

France says the number of coronavirus deaths has risen by 231 to a total of 1,331.
The total number of confirmed cases is now 25,233 - they include 2,827 people who are in a serious condition requiring life support.
The French death toll is so far only counting those who have died in hospital. But French authorities say they will soon have figures for deaths in care homes, which could result in a large jump in the overall number of fatalities

Coronavirus 'public enemy number one'

Coronavirus is "public enemy number one", says the director general of the World Health Organization.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged countries on lockdown to take measures to "find, isolate, test, treat and trace" cases, and warned those who don't that they could face a "resurgence" of the virus.
Dr Ghebreyesus said: "Aggressive measures to find, isolate, test, treat and trace are not only the best and fastest way out of extreme social and economic restrictions - they're also the best way to prevent them."
The secretary general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Angel Gurría, has warned that the world will take years to recover from the pandemic and told the BBC the economic shock was already bigger than the financial crisis in 2008.

US refuse collectors strike over lack of protection

Sanitation workers in the US city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, are refusing to collect rubbish until the city provides them with face masks and hazard pay.
"We risk our life every time we grab a garbage bag," one striking worker told reporters as he announced that rubbish would not be collected on Wednesday.
Sanitation workers are considered essential employees that are exempted from the city's lockdown orders.
"We’re playing Russian roulette with every garbage bag that we’re grabbing," Sheldon White told local channel WPXI-TV.
"Half the people don't tie their bags, so when the stuff spills out, they tell you to pick it up. There's Kleenexes that people blow their nose and cough in."
In a statement, the City of Pittsburgh said that workers had been supplied with cleaning wipes and gloves and were being "encouraged" to wash their uniforms daily.
The refuse collectors were sent home with pay on Wednesday and told to report back to work on Thursday, according to WPXI.

---

Pompeo deepens US-China row

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the G7 group of big economies have discussed China’s "intentional disinformation campaign" on the new coronavirus during a virtual meeting.
He says all the leaders were aware of the campaign, which, he says, Beijing continued to engage in so as to deflect attention from what really happened.
The Trump administration has repeatedly alleged that China was and is suppressing information about the coronavirus.
President Trump has called it the "Chinese virus" – angering Beijing and ignoring World Health Organization guidelines.
Mr Pompeo said the world needed transparency and accurate information from China in order to fight the pandemic.
Some Chinese officials have suggested that the virus was brought to China by the US military.
Mr Pompeo dismissed that as "crazy talking".
He also appeared to dismiss China’s sales of medical supplies to combat the pandemic, saying Beijing was now trying to claim that it was the "white hat" (showing moral leadership).

Can we trust China’s numbers?

Robin Brant - BBC News China correspondent
China has a bad record on official government numbers that the world believes. It’s not down to incompetence, it's by design. Communist party dominance sometimes depends on living up to forecasts or targets - even if they aren’t actually met - and, conversely, burying reality when it shines a light on wrong doing or, worse still, failure that puts a dent in the party’s credibility to govern.
So China comes to the table, so to speak, with much scepticism awaiting it. Its GDP figures have long been regarded as more of a guide to the trends in its economy but not an accurate reflection of its actual growth.
Doubts about the official government figures on coronavirus, that are collated at 3am every morning, are fuelled by several specific issues: First, there was the (admitted) cover up and subsequent three-week delay in publicising and acting upon the outbreak.
Second, the empirical integrity of the numbers has been repeatedly questioned; just a few days ago officials in Hubei revealed that they didn’t count asymptomatic positive cases or those that didn’t require hospitalisation.
Third - and this may appear simplistic but it's an obvious question - could it really be the case that a couple of weeks ago for a short period of time there were no new confirmed cases - zero - of the virus in all of mainland China, except Hubei?

A new kind of normal in China

With the exception of the central Chinese city of Wuhan, most areas across China are seeing life return to some version of normal.
But many schools and businesses are still erring on the side of caution and implementing special measures to keep people protected - should there be a resurgence of Covid-19 in the country.In north-western Xinjiang, many schools have reopened, but primary school children are under strict instructions to wear masks in the classrooms.Popular video website Pear Video shows how one karaoke bar in central Hunan has reopened for visitors. But they must have their temperature checked and scan a QR code before they enter, so that if they exhibit any symptoms their travel history can be traced.
Companies are also requiring that passengers scan a QR code before they travel. This is the case in Wuhan, which is taking the measures ahead of coming out of lockdown on 8 April.And many in southwestern Sichuan are talking online about whether they might go on wearing masks, now that they are allowed to play Mahjong - a game played with a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols - again.
The game was banned in early February to ensure that people, particularly China’s elderly, avoided sitting too close together.

More US states issue 'stay at home' orders

The governors of Minnesota and Idaho have issued state-wide "stay at home" orders - sayings residents should not leave home for non-essential activities.
In Minnesota, the order will last for two weeks - and restaurants and bars will be closed, although pharmacies and grocery stores will remain open. "The virus will still be here when this two-week period is over, but we’ll be better prepared," says Governor Tim Walz.
The Idaho order is expected to remain in place for 21 days, local media report. Local residents can still go outdoors for exercise, but must stay 2m (6ft) away from others.
They join at least 16 other US states that have already issued stay at home orders, including New York and California.

Major UK supermarkets bring in safety measures

Major supermarkets in the UK are bringing in measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, including limiting the number of people in stores and floor markings to help customers maintain a safe distance while queuing.
Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and the Co-Op are among those to implement changes, including extra hand sanitisers in stores for staff and customers to use, cleaning products to wipe down baskets or trolleys and putting up protective screens at checkouts.
Stores have also asked people to try to arrive throughout the day, rather than first thing in the morning, and to pay by card.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Mike Coupe wrote to customers on Wednesday to say “we will limit the number of people allowed in our stores and at our ATMs at any one time”.

Canada brings in mandatory quarantine for all arrivals

Jessica Murphy, BBC News, Toronto
Canada is implementing a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period for all travellers returning to the country from abroad.
The decision to make the self-isolation measure legally required follows reports people weren't following the existing guidelines.
Officials had warned travellers not to stop and pick up groceries or visit friends upon their return.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told a news conference that self-isolation would be a "legal obligation" across the country as of midnight.
People could face fines or criminal charges.

'These stay at home orders are real'

The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, is giving an update. The state currently has more than 2,600 confirmed cases - it's the American state with the third-most cases, after New York and New Jersey.
Governor Newsom said:

• California has secured 100 million new N95 masks – although more procurement is required. The state has also procured more ventilators
  
• They are expecting 120,000 new test kits, through a partnership with private companies
  
• About 4,000 hotel rooms have been made available across the state for homeless people
  
• Most banks have agreed to a 90-day grace period for mortgage payments for those affected by coronavirus
  

He warned people to take physical distancing seriously. “We can defeat this virus. But we can’t defeat it unless we commit to fulfilling individual obligations. These stay at home orders are real – they’re a bipartisan order.”

Another 28 deaths from virus recorded in England

Another 28 people have died from coronavirus in England, according to the latest numbers from the NHS.
This brings the total number of deaths in the country to 414.
NHS England said the patients who died were aged between 47 and 93 years old.
All of the people, except the 47-year-old, had underlying health conditions.
The figure brings the total number of deaths in the UK to 465.
Earlier today, a further five were recorded in Wales, a further six in Scotland and two more in Northern Ireland.

First supplies ready to go to 'shielded' people

The UK government has been sending letters to 1.5 million people telling them to stay indoors for 12 weeks to avoid contracting coronavirus.
The measure is known as "shielding" and covers people most at risk of requiring hospital treatment if they are diagnosed, such as those with organ transplants and some cancer patients.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick promised that those without the support of friends and family nearby would get help from the government for their essentials.
This evening the minister tweeted a picture of what he said was the first food and supplies box ready to be delivered to one of the "shielded" people.

Trump tweets about the economy - and his election prospects

US President Donald Trump has again expressed his desire that people go back to work as soon as possible - even as more states have issued "stay at home" orders.
Observers believe there could be growing divisions between medical professionals in the administration and those whose focus might lie on the economic impact of the virus.

"The LameStream Media is the dominant force in trying to get me to keep our Country closed as long as possible in the hope that it will be detrimental to my election success. The real people want to get back to work ASAP. We will be stronger than ever before!"

Stay-at-home orders are issued and lifted by state governors, so Mr Trump doesn't have the power to directly order people back to work.
However, his November re-election campaign is built around the claim that he has presided over record economic growth and low unemployment - both of which have been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak.
He also routinely attacks the media - which he describes as "fake news" - in a way that appeals to his base.
You can read more about why Mr Trump wants stay-at-home orders lifted here, and read about what the crisis reveals about the US, and its president, here.
Our Reality Check team has also fact-checked some of Mr Trump's latest tweets

Peru arrests 16,000 for failing to observe social distancing

Over 16,000 people have been arrested in Peru for ignoring compulsory social distancing measures announced in the country, President Martín Vizcarra has said.
They were taken to police stations where they were detained for a few hours and reprimanded. The government is considering a fine for repeat offenders.
Mr Vizcarra declared a state of emergency on 15 March and imposed an overnight curfew in many cities between the hours of 20:00 and 05:00. Those living in the areas under the state of emergency are only allowed out to buy food or to go to the hospital.
Videos shared on social media showed residents of the capital, Lima, openly flouting the measures by drinking on the streets and playing football.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 Britons have been stranded in the South American country after it closed its borders and stopped all flights amid the coronavirus outbreak.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said special flights will be laid on later this week to bring them back.
Peru has recorded 480 cases of the virus so far, and nine deaths.

Food parcels for foreign tourists in the Himalayas

In Nepal, a restaurant owner is giving away freshly cooked food to stranded foreign tourists. Dorji Lama, who runs a popular restaurant in the town of Pokhara, says he wants to help tourists who can't travel or find restaurants to eat at, due to the nationwide lockdown.
He opens a side door of his restaurant for two hours daily to hand out the parcels and fresh water. He told BBC Nepali that on the first day of the lockdown, 56 tourists came to his place for food, and today there were 78.
Mr Lama says he felt obliged to help during this time of crisis.

UK orders 10,000 ventilators from Dyson

British manufacturer Dyson has received an order for 10,000 ventilators from the UK government.
BBC Business editor Simon Jack reports that the order will be ready in April, and that the firm will also donate an extra 1,000 to the UK, and 4,000 to other countries.
Ministers have asked manufacturers to switch their production in order to make the equipment, which can be used to help keep the worst-affected Covid-19 patients alive. The UK has even published the design onlinein a bid to help.
Around the world, major car firms - including Ford, Tesla and Fiat - have been among those to answer similar calls from governments.

Trump declares 'major disaster' in Florida and Texas

President Trump has declared a "major disaster" in Florida and Texas over the coronavirus pandemic.
The phrase "major disaster" may sound scary, but it's actually something that states want - the declaration makes them eligible for federal assistance for relief work.
Mr Trump has already issued disaster declarations for New York, Washington state, California, Iowa and Louisiana.

France pulls troops out of Iraq

France is withdrawing its contingent of almost 200 soldiers from Iraq because of the pandemic that has caused 27 deaths there. Iraq's president has said the medical infrastructure is not up to required standards.
In a statement the French military said the US-led coalition had "decided to adjust its deployments". The French contingent is involved in training Iraqi soldiers and working at coalition headquarters in Baghdad.

Trump criticises European Union

President Trump is now taking questions from reporters. Asked about his comments that the US should not rely on other countries, Mr Trump takes a swipe at the European Union (EU).
"We make the best medical equipment in the world… but they have specifications, designed specifically so that our equipment can't come into their countries," he says.
The EU has its own safety and specification standards for a variety of products - and the US does not meet all of them.
"They're all playing games against us OK? They've been playing games against us for years... Some of the people who took the biggest advantage of us? Our allies. They took advantage – financially but even militarily as well."
Mr Trump has long argued that Nato allies should contribute more financially to the alliance, and that other countries should shoulder more of the burden.

Summary for 26th March

   - The US has almost 70,000 confirmed cases and at least 1,050 deaths
   - But New York state, the worst-affected, says social restrictions are slowing hospital admissions
   - US Senate passes $2 trillion stimulus bill, which includes $1,200 for most adults
   - In the UK, financial support for the self-employed is due to be unveiled
   - The number of deaths in the UK has risen to 465, out of 9,500 confirmed cases
   - In China, no new cases were reported in Hubei province, where the virus emerged

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Welcome back to our rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak. We're writing to you out of Singapore today - where many of us are working from home - and we'll be handing over to our colleagues in London later this afternoon. Here's your news this morning:

• The number of coronavirus cases in the US has jumped by more than 10,000 in a single day. This brings the total number of cases to 54,453, with 737 deaths so far
  
• But it's not all bad news. New York's governor says the city's strict measures seem to be working, as the rate of hospitalisations appears to have slowed in recent days. Governor Cuomo said the arrows were "headed in the right direction"
  

• In the UK, the death toll has risen to 463 from 422, as the number of cases in the country passes the 9,500 mark
  
• No new virus cases were reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan - where the virus emerged late last year. There has however, been a rise in the number of imported cases across China
  

NY hospitalisation rate 'almost too good to be true'

New York governor Andrew Cuomo has described the hospitalisation rate in the state as "almost too good to be true" and "headed in the right direction" - while warning that numbers are still expected to spike.
Latest figures suggest the doubling of hospitalisation numbers is not coming every two days - as was expected earlier - but only every 4.7 days.
This crucial change gives medical staff more time to treat patients and slows down the overcrowding of hospitals.
Mr Cuomo said the peak of patients needing hospital care in the state was expected in about 21 days, but that the trend showed that social distancing was working.
New York is the worst hit state in the US, accounting for more than half of overall cases.

Rush of weddings before deadline

In Australia, there’s been a rush down the aisle in the past 24 hours after authorities announced new social isolation rules banning more than five people at a wedding.
That number includes the marrying couple and their celebrant – so only two guests are allowed.
Facing the prospect of nuptials postponed for an indeterminable time, or perhaps a live-streamed ceremony (see here and here), some opted to tie the knot immediately, to beat the Wednesday midnight deadline.

US records more than 10,000 cases in a day

The number of cases in the US has jumped by 10,000 - bringing the total number of cases in the country to 54,453.
According to the US CDC, the death toll also rose by 193 cases, bringing it to 737.
The state of New York has more than half of the country's overall cases - with more than 30,800 patients.

What's happening in New Zealand and Australia?

Both have implemented strict new measures today.
New Zealand's is a month-long lockdown that allows only essential workers to leave home, and forces the closure of all schools and non-essential businesses. The country has almost 300 cases of the virus.
Last night, as streets emptied, PM Jacinda Ardern answered people's questions live on Facebook.
Australia's new rules do not go as far, but place strict limits on how many people can attend weddings and funerals. Many public places and businesses are now shut, after more than 2,600 positive tests and 11 deaths.
Other businesses, however, remain open – a point of continuing debate.
PM Scott Morrison has now scrapped a controversial 30-minute limit on hairdressing appointments – “following the receipt of feedback on the practical implementation of [those] measures".

Trump clashes with reporter over virus

"The media would like to see me do poorly in the election."

Renowned Indian chef dies in US

World-renowned chef Floyd Cardoz has died after testing positive for coronavirus.
He co-owned the hugely popular Mumbai restaurants Bombay Canteen and O Pedro.
The Mumbai-born chef was a pioneer of modern Indian cuisine and first shot to fame as executive chef at the restaurant Tabla in New York City.
He was diagnosed with Covid-19 on 18 March in New Jersey, according to Hunger Inc where he was culinary director.
The food world has been in mourning since news of his death on Wednesday.

US has third most cases globally

The number of people infected in the US has jumped to 68,572 - according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
The US now has the third most Covid-19 cases in the world, behind China and Italy.
It's worth bearing in mind that the CDC numbers we reported earlier are announced once daily, whereas JHU keeps a rolling, live count of the numbers as they come.

New York tightens measures

More on the situation in New York, the state with the highest numbers in both infections and deaths in the US.
Despite the slowing hospitalisation rate, Governor Andrew Cuomo warned that “much remains to be done” and announced new steps aimed at containing the virus.
New York City – with more than 8 million people – is making some streets pedestrian-only to allow more room for social distancing between people.
The city also plans to ban basketball and other contact sports in public parks, urging individuals to comply on a voluntary basis.
"Our closeness makes us vulnerable," Mr Cuomo warned.
In a sign that things are expected to get worse before they get better, New York along with North Carolina and Hawaii, has requested the Federal Emergency Management Agency to send special mortuary teams that can be deployed for mass casualties.

'I'm not going to stop partying' spring breaker apologises

Remember the pictures from spring break in the US where Miami beaches were full of party goers, ignoring all warnings to take the situation seriously and stop the spread?
One clip that went viral was a young man saying: "If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I'm not gonna let it stop me from partying."
That was Brady Sluder, on spring break in Miami, and he was criticised for these comments that made the rounds on news and social media around the globe.
Since then US infections and deaths have surged.
Now, Brady has apologised "for the insensitive comment I made in regards to Covid-19".
On Instagram, he said "our generation may feel invincible, like I did when I commented, but we have a responsibility to listen and follow the recommendations in our communities".

Spain death toll surpasses China

Despite the surge in the US, Southern Europe remains at the epicentre of the pandemic.
After Italy, Spain has become the second country to surpass the death toll of China. The number of deaths rose by 738 in 24 hours - a daily record - to 3,434, higher than the 683 announced in Italy.
By comparison, China has officially reported 3,285 deaths, while Italy – the worst affected country – has 6,820.
Spain's rate of infection has increased by a fifth and almost 27,000 people are being treated in hospital.
Other hard-hit countries in Europe are Germany, France, the UK and Switzerland.

Singapore schools emerge as new clusters

While many countries around the world have closed schools to slow the spread of the virus, Singapore has kept them open - with strict monitoring protocols in place. But two new clusters have now emerged in the country - one linked to a pre-school and another to an international school.
At least 18 cases were reported late on Wednesday at one PCF Sparkletots centre.
The affected branch is just one of over 300 in Singapore run by PCF Sparkletots - Singapore's biggest pre-school operator which has links to the country's ruling party.
However none of the confirmed cases are children at the pre-school - 14 are staff and four are family members of the principal.
The chief executive of the centre has now apologised, after it was revealed that staff were at work despite feeling unwell.
The centre has now been closed and all children and other staff have been put in quarantine. All 359 other centres will also be closed for four days.
Another three cases were linked to Dover Court - a British international school in Singapore. Again, all three patients are staff at the school.
While a number of children globally have been infected, the symptoms tend to be milder in children - studies show.

All your questions about the virus answered

It's a strange time to be living in. A lot of us are confined to our homes, anxious about our loved ones and what to do to protect ourselves. Here's where you can find the answer to some of the questions you might have.
What are the symptoms of the virus and how do I protect myself?
Read this
What is social distancing and how do I do it?
Answered here
What's the risk to young people?
Find out more
How close are we to finding a vaccine?
Read what scientists are doing
When will the outbreak end and life get back to normal?
Read our take on this

Flights for stranded Brits 'hugely expensive'

We've been inundated with stories of Brits trying to get home from Australia.
Today Qatar Airways has added extra flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Perth via Doha. There are complaints tickets are too expensive – more than A$12,000 (£6,000) one way. We've had a quick look and that seems to be the case for the next week or so.
But prices drop to about A$3,000 (£1,500) from 4 April. Some will have to sit it out a little longer but several travellers tell us they have run out of funds and can’t find work. Others fear their visas expiring and being "illegal".
British Airways flights to London that go via Singapore are currently only allowing Singaporean citizens on board - so planes are leaving Australia almost empty. The UK's High Commissioner to Australia Vicki Treadall says they are "close" to getting a solution and that UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been talking to his counterpart in Singapore.

US Senate passes $2tn aid package

The US Senate has passed a $2tn (£1.7tn) coronavirus disaster aid bill that is the largest economic stimulus in US history.

Global roundup

If you're just joining us, welcome to the BBC's rolling coverage of the global coronavirus pandemic.
As the Asian day heads into lunch hours and Europe begins to wake up, here's what you need to know:

• the US Senate has just passed a mammoth $2tn (£1.7tn) aid package after a last-minute delay
  
• it comes as the country sees a rise of more than 10,000 new confirmed cases, taking the overall number to over 68,000 with 1,024 deaths
  
• New York, the worst hit state sees a slowdown in the hospitalisation rate, suggesting that social distancing has a positive impact
  
• China, where the virus emerged, has seen no new cases in Hubei province, the heart of the Chinese outbreak.
  
• Europe remains the epicentre of the pandemic, and Italy and Spain have the world's two highest death tolls.
  

And here are the latest figures - total cases now at 470,000

There are now more than 470,000 recorded infections worldwide.
The number of global deaths is more than 21,270 while over 114,000 people have recovered.
Here's the breakdown of the worst-hit countries by number of cases:

• China (81,667 cases, 3,285 dead, 73,775 recovered)
  
• Italy (74,386 cases, 7,503 dead, 9,362 recovered)
  
• US (66,132 cases, 1,031 dead, 616 recovered)
  
• Spain (49,515 cases, 3,647 dead, 5,367 recovered)
  
• Germany (37,323 cases, 206 dead, 3,547 recovered)
  
• Iran (27,017 cases, 2,077 dead, 9,625 recovered)
  
• France (25,600 cases, 1,333 dead, 3,907 recovered)
  
• Switzerland (10,897cases, 153 dead, 131 recovered)
  
• UK (9,640 cases, 466 dead, 140 recovered)
  

These numbers change very frequently

Thailand under 'state of emergency'

Thailand is now being ruled under a state of emergency, lasting at least until 30 April, in which normal government is suspended and power is transferred to a ruling committee headed by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.
The decree bans the entry of all foreign visitors and gives the prime minister the authority to restrict travel, ban large gatherings of people and confine some to their homes. It also confers sweeping powers to control the media, and General Prayuth warned he would use the full force of the law against anyone putting what he called "distorted" information onto social media.
How much of this power the one-time coup-leader intends to use is not yet clear. Much of the public life in the capital Bangkok has already been shut down, although there are still plenty of people on the streets and in food stores. Until now the government has been reluctant to impose tighter restrictions for fear of the huge economic damage. The closure of Bangkok’s nightlife has pushed thousands to leave for the provinces, cramming bus stations and potentially taking the coronavirus with them.
Infections have now reached 934. But doctors at one top hospital have warned of more than 7,000 deaths within 30 days if much stronger measures are not taken. General Prayuth’s leadership has been widely criticised over the past year as ineffectual and unimaginative. Now he has concentrated all decision-making in his own hands, he must take the credit, or blame, for how well Thailand weathers its coronavirus crisis.

Largest economic stimulus in US history passes Senate

As we mentioned, the US Senate has overwhelmingly backed the $2tn (£1.7tn) coronavirus disaster aid bill. It is the largest economic stimulus in US history.
The vote was delayed by a last-minute row between Republican and Democratic senators over unemployment benefits.
The plan includes direct payments of $1,200 to most American adults and aid to help small businesses pay workers.
The Senate unanimously approved the bill with a 96-0 vote. It now moves on to the House of Representatives. It's expected to pass the House on Friday.

97-year-old recovers from virus

Here's a bit of good news amidst the doom and gloom.
A 97-year-old woman has become the oldest person in South Korea to recover from the virus, according to Yonhap News.
No other details about her are available yet - but she's not the only elderly person to have beaten the virus.
Earlier in March, Chinese state media outlet Xinhua reported that a 100-year-old man in China had also recovered from the virus. The news outlet says he is the oldest recovered patient to date.

What's the latest across South Asia?

Here are the latest developments across the region:

• India enters its second day of a strict lockdown after PM Narendra Modi said there was "a ban on stepping out of your homes". The country has confirmed over 550 cases and 10 deaths. But concerns over how such a strict ban on a population size of over a billion can be carried out remain
  
• Pakistan continues to be the worst-hit country in the region as cases have surged to over a 1,000. More than 400 positive cases were reported from Sindh, the worst hit region
  
• Bangladesh confirmed its fifth death as positive cases climb to 39. But it wasn't all bad news as the country also said it hadn't recorded a new case in 24 hours after it suspended all domestic flights and public transport
  
• Cases in Sri Lanka tipped over to a 102 on Wednesday, as a strict and indefinite curfew remains in place, preventing residents from stepping out of their homes even for essentials
  

Tokyo warns of 'explosion' in infections

Authorities in Tokyo have urged people to stay at home on the weekend, warning the city might otherwise see an "explosion" of new infections. Wednesday had seen a record 41 new cases discovered.
The Japanese capital has so far been spared the draconian measures seen in other major global cities, but governor Yuriko Koike said the city was at a "critical stage".
"We urge people at all costs to refrain from going out this weekend if it's not urgent," she said, encouraging residents to work from home during weekdays and refrain from going out at night.
"Starting this week, there are increasing concerns that we could see an explosion of infections," Koike warned.
Across all of Japan, around 1,200 people have tested positive, including some 200 in Tokyo, and 43 people have died.

US death toll passes 1,000

The number of people with Covid-19 who have died in the US has passed 1,000, according to a running total from Johns Hopkins University. The most recent total was 1,050 deaths with 69,171 cases.

Lockdown disconnects India's poor

Lockdowns across the world may be encouraging people to keep in touch or re-connect with old friends, but that's a luxury for India's poor.
Most of them rely on pre-paid or pay-as-you-go subscriptions - in fact, these account for 95% of India's more than a billion mobile phone connections.
Millions of daily-wagers can no longer top up their accounts at street kiosks because these are shut. And many don’t use the internet or have an online bank account, so they can't go online to top up either.
They are also likely to run out of money as they now find themselves out of work.
It will be devastating because they are stuck in cities, miles away from their families in villages. And they are fast losing the option to contact their loved ones.
Hopefully, mobile phone companies come up with a plan to keep these subscriptions going.

Another unwanted cruise ship

Any news line about cruise ships nowadays seems to be linked to coronavirus - and this is no exception.
This time it's the Zaandam, a ship with more than 70 passengers reporting Covid-19 symptoms.
The ship left Buenos Aires on 7 March with around 1,800 people, and was heading for a port in Chile from where everyone would fly home.
But Chile didn't want to take the risk and said no. All other ports in the region did the same - and so the Zaandam is heading for Florida to reach Fort Lauderdale on 30 March.
Owner Holland America has sent a ship to meet the Zaandam to bring extra supplies - and test kits for the virus.

Another 50 deaths in Germany

The number of people with Covid-19 who have died in Germany has increased by 50 to 198, according to official figures.
The number of cases is 36,508 - an increase of 4,995.

Russia locks down aerial borders

Russia's government will stop all overseas flights from the country starting 27 March. The ban will not apply to repatriation flights and flights carried out by "separate orders of the Russian government", Interfax news agency reported.
It's worth noting that Russia has comparatively fewer cases than other European countries - just 658, with three deaths.
On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin postponed a vote on a constitutional change that would allow him to stay in power for two more consecutive terms.

UK virus latest figures

We're now shifting our focus slightly to the UK.
The number of coronavirus deaths in the UK has risen to 463, up from 422. That's a daily increase of 41 - less than half the increase from a day earlier.
Cases are up, with 9,529 cases as of Wednesday compared to 8,077 cases the day before.
Some 97,019 have been tested for the virus - of which 87,490 had tested negative.

First Covid-19 death in Kashmir

Indian-administered Kashmir has reported its first death from the virus - a 65-year-old man.
He had recently returned from attending a religious congregation outside Kashmir that included people from Malayasia and Indonesia.
The disputed region has 11 active Covid-19 cases, and more than 5,000 have been quarantined and are being monitored for symptoms.

Help for self-employed workers

If you're a self-employed worker in the UK, here's a bit of news that might make you feel a bit better.
The government earlier set out plans for 80% wage subsidises for staff kept on by their employers - Chancellor Rishi Sunak now says he wants similar plans in place for freelancers.
There are currently around one million people that are self-employed in the UK.
But the government also says that drawing up plans for self-employed people has proven "incredibly difficult". This is because their income can sometimes be irregular and intermittent.

Calls for 'breeding ground' to close

UK online clothing store Pretty Little Thing has faced calls to close its warehouse, which has been described as a "breeding ground for Covid-19".
One worker, identified only as Patrick, said the warehouse in Sheffield had 4ft wide aisles where up to 10 people worked at a time.
Another worker said there were only four small sanitiser dispensers in the warehouse and they were always empty.
"The work we do is not essential, who wants to buy clothes not knowing when you will be able to wear them?" he said.

$1,200 for each adult American

Earlier we reported that the US Senate had unanimously passed a $2tn (£1.7tn) coronavirus disaster aid bill. It's the largest economic stimulus in American history - if signed into law, it will impact millions of Americans and all manner of businesses. But what is actually in the bill?

• American adults with a salary of up to $75,000 a year will be sent cheques for $1,200. The payments will be less for those making over $75,000 - the cap is set at $99,000 per person, or $198,000 for couples
  
• A $500 billion lending program will be established for businesses, cities and states
  

• Another $367 billion will go towards an employee retention fund for small businesses
  
• A further $17 billion is earmarked to help companies deemed crucial for national security
  
• The airline industry - which has taken heavy losses - will be the biggest recipient of the bill. Passenger airlines qualify for $25bn in loans, and another $25bn in grants. Cargo carriers will be eligible for another $8bn, divided between loans and grants
  
• Roughly $100bn will be given for assistance to hospitals
  

21-year-old victim had no underlying conditions

A 21-year-old woman with no underlying conditions died after contracting coronavirus, says her family.
Chloe Middleton, from Buckinghamshire in England, died last week.
Her aunt called for people to "protect" themselves, saying "please, please adhere to government rules".

Businesses 'have disappeared in the blink of an eye'

We already know that the government plans to provide wage subsidies of 80% of salaries (up to £2,500 per month) for staff kept on by employers during the pandemic.
But Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to set out measures to help self-employed workers facing financial difficulties as a result of coronavirus later today.
Dr Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, told the BBC’s Today programme: "For many people that have seen their businesses disappear in the blink of an eye, things like statutory sick pay or universal credit just isn't enough. Their custom has literally evaporated overnight."
He also argued the case for the UK following a similar route to Denmark or Norway, which try to replace up to 80% of recent earnings for self-employed people: "The way you can do that is by looking back at recent tax returns and filings to make sure you aren't under-paying or over-paying an individual."
"It doesn't need to be perfect - we just need a system in place to get help to some of these businesses. So many of them are counting time in hours and days, rather than weeks or months. They simply don't have the cash to keep going for that long."

Key developments in the UK

Good morning to those just joining us in the UK, and around the world.
Here is a quick summary of some of the main developments in the UK:

• Self-employed workers facing financial difficulties will find out later what financial aid they will be offered by the government
  
• Banks have been criticised by firms and MPs for asking business owners to put their own property up to secure loans
  

• The government has ordered 10,000 ventilators from Dyson, which says it designed a new type to help the NHS response
  
• All NHS workers and social care staff will be given free parking during the outbreak
  
• A decision about whether or not this year's Wimbledon will go ahead as planned will be made next week
  
• And on Wednesday the number of coronavirus deaths in the UK rose by 41, taking the total to 463
  

Where is America worst affected?

With confirmed cases and deaths continuing to soar, several states are enacting measures to combat the spread of coronavirus. The disease has been reported in each of America's 50 states, although some are experiencing worse outbreaks than others. Here are five states that have been hit with the highest number of deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University:

• New York 368
  
• Washington 133
  
• California 67
  
• Louisiana 65
  
• New Jersey 62
  

• Georgia 47
  

Banks under fire for coronavirus loans

Banks have been criticised by firms and MPs for insisting on personal guarantees to issue government-backed emergency loans to business owners.
It means that the banks can go after the personal property of the owner of a firm if their business goes under and they cannot afford to pay off the debt.
Debbie Crosbie, chief executive of TSB Bank, told the BBC’s Wake Up to Money that it was in the process of finalising what business interruption loans it will offer.
She added that it was unlikely TSB bank would look at personal guarantees because the level of its lending is generally lower than other High Street banks.
“In TSB, the large majority of our 100,000 business customers are sole traders - very small companies, people who work in the gig economy, which is why we’ve really focussed on the smaller end of that support.”
She said that the coronavirus had been "extremely challenging, but banks are trying their best to respond."

Shoppers empty shelves in Tokyo after warning

As we mentioned earlier the Tokyo governor has asked people to stay at home this weekend to try and prevent an "explosive" rise in coronavirus cases.
That seems to have caused people in the city to rush out and stock up on food and essentials.
We hadn't seen this in Tokyo yet, though the pictures of empty shelves are a familiar sight by now from cities around the world where panic buying has been happening.
Officials in the UK, US, Australia, and Hong Kong have warned against buying more than you need and have sought to reassure people there are adequate supplies.
Tokyo has some 212 confirmed cases for a total of 1,200 in Japan.

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The face of America's fight against the virus

He's emerged as one of the most trusted names in America - and a leading voice in the government's response to the outbreak.
But who exactly is Dr Anthony Fauci and how did he become America's "explainer-in-chief"?
Find out more about him here.

(Me): Sorry, just couldn't resist this:

French deaths 'could be far higher'

France has recorded 1,331 deaths amid the coronavirus outbreak but there are fears the toll could be far higher.
Health authorities are only counting those who die in hospitals and are not performing post-mortems on unconfirmed cases. France's top health official, Jérôme Salomon, said hospital cases "probably represent a small part of the overall mortality".
News reports suggest nursing homes could be suffering a large number of deaths not included in the figures. The president of the Association of Directors for the Elderly told Ouest France newspaper 100,000 residents could be at risk and asked for government aid.

Why isn't the UK testing more?

The WHO has called on all countries to "test, test, test".
So why isn't the UK testing more people?
It basically comes down to resources. At the moment, the UK doesn't have the capacity to do mass testing - so healthcare systems have to start prioritising.
The government's chief medical officer says the UK is trying to buy more testing kits but points to a current global bottleneck on buying more kits.
Read to find out how the UK stacks up against other countries.

Woman's chemotherapy put on hold

A UK woman with brain cancer has had her chemotherapy stopped after being told her hospital was already at full capacity.
Nancy Carter-Bradley said she was dealing with "unbelievable stress" ever since she was told her treatment at Charing Cross Hospital would be paused.
"To have my treatment stopped without doubt is going to shorten my life span. I don't know to what degree," she said.
The Imperial College Healthcare NHS trust said it was "exploring the use of private healthcare facilities".

How are UK food supply networks coping?

Pictures of empty shelves across UK supermarkets sparked concerns about food shortages.
Major supermarkets say they can cope and that shopping patterns should return to normal eventually - after all, there's only so much people can stockpile.
But the pandemic has highlighted problems with food supply chains, which our modern societies entirely depend upon.
For one thing, around half the food consumed in Britain comes from overseas, according to official figures. Supermarkets do not hold large reserves of food in the UK either - a measure in place to cut warehousing costs.
Because of this, keeping supply chains running has become essential to putting food on the table. But how robust are these chains and what systems are in place to keep them working? Read more from Jonty Bloom at BBC Business

India announces $23bn bailout for its poorest

India has just announced a $22.6bn (£19bn) bailout for the giant country’s poorest citizens to help tide them over during the Covid-19 outbreak.
"We don’t want anyone to remain hungry and we don’t want anyone to remain without money in their hands,” said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
She said the package would take care of “those who need immediate help” and would include food security by providing free rice, wheat and pulses, as well as direct cash transfers.
The government would also provide medical insurance cover of up to $66,482 for all healthcare workers helping fight the virus.
India’s economy was in the midst of a brutal slowdown before the country went into lockdown, shutting workplaces, factories and leaving millions of day-wagers and informal workers anxious and helpless.
So far India has recorded a tiny number of deaths and infections in proportion to its size - 13 deaths and 593 cases - but there are fears the virus will spread.

US man shot while 'plotting to bomb hospital

A 36-year-old man has been killed in a confrontation with FBI agents after allegedly planning to attack a hospital in Missouri with a vehicle bomb.
Timothy Wilson was a "potentially violent extremist" with a record of expressing racial and religious hatred and anti-government sentiment, the FBI said.
He considered several targets, including a school with a large population of black students, a synagogue and a mosque, NBC News reports, quoting FBI officials.
He finally settled on a hospital to cause "maximum casualties", given "the current health crisis", the FBI said. He took "the necessary steps to acquire materials needed to build an explosive device".
Wilson, who was armed, was fatally wounded when FBI agents tried to arrest him on Tuesday in the Missouri town of Belton as he arrived to pick up what he thought was a "vehicle-borne improvised explosive device". "There was no actual bomb," the FBI added
The alleged bomb plotter was "apparently frustrated with local government action to stop the spread of coronavirus", according to NBC News.

South Korea uses app to check on new arrivals

South Korea is getting tough on arrivals from overseas and demanding that they download a phone application to track potential symptoms of coronavirus or they will not be granted entry into the country.
Foreigners will also have to abide by the 14-day self-quarantine rule or face deportation.
The government is determined to try to keep its borders open but that comes with an element of risk.
More than half of the reported 100 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday were from international arrivals. All those travelling from Europe are now being tested for coronavirus when they arrive at Incheon International Airport. Stricter entry procedures are also being applied to arrivals from the US.
Even if travellers test negative for the virus, they must spend 14 days in isolation and use the application which is downloaded at the airport to record their symptoms. If they fail to use the app daily, the authorities will track them down.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said there would be a zero-tolerance approach towards those who violated these terms of entry.
Korean nationals could face legal action and foreigners will be expelled from the country.

First virus-related death in British prison

An 84-year-old man has become the first British prisoner to die after contracting coronavirus.
The inmate at HMP Littlehey, in Cambridgeshire, died in hospital on Sunday. He reportedly had underlying health issues.
As of Wednesday, 19 inmates had been diagnosed with the virus across 10 jails, while four prison staff had also tested positive.

EU to hold virtual summit

Leaders are holding a video summit today as coronavirus continues to spread.
Here are the latest developments from across the continent:

• All 27 member state leaders will discuss the EU’s response to the virus in the virtual summit this afternoon. There have been disagreements about how best to act, with some countries calling for joint “corona bonds” to revive European economies and others urging financial restraint
  
• The latest statistics on Spain’s outbreak are due out this morning. There are close to 50,000 confirmed cases in the country – including Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo – and more than 3,600 deaths. El Pais newspaper reports that new rapid tests sent to the country by China don’t work well
  
• All restaurants, parks and shops barring grocery stores will shut in Moscow for one week on Monday, the city’s mayor said, as Russia ramps up its response to the outbreak. President Putin announced yesterday a week off work for Russians to limit the spread. And as of Friday, all flights to foreign countries will cease, except those bringing home citizens from abroad
  
• France has recorded 1,331 deaths. In a visit to a hospital last night President Emmanuel Macron said he would call on the army to help the country. A government spokeswoman said the 15-day lockdown measures could be extended, with a final decision expected “in the coming days”
  

UK charity launches £5m fund for musicians

A UK charity has launched a £5m fund to help professional musicians who are struggling during the coronavirus crisis.
Help Musicians says it set up the fund to help reduce the worry many musicians are experiencing about their mounting household expenses.
The charity says musicians who are suffering "significant financial hardship" can apply for a one-off payment of £500 to alleviate some of their immediate money worries.

26th March continued ... (Part 2)

How the virus has spread across the US

The World Health Organization has warned America could become the new epicentre for the pandemic after a "very large acceleration" in cases in recent days.
New York is by far the state worst affected but infections stretch right across the country, as our graphic shows.

Brits stranded in Peru begin arriving home

The first flight chartered by the UK government from Peru - carrying more than 200 stranded Britons - has arrived at Heathrow.
Our diplomatic correspondent James Landale says some 1,000 Britons have registered with the UK embassy in Lima seeking to come home.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says more flights are likely "in the coming days" as negotiations continue with the Peruvian authorities.

Eyes turn to southern Italy

Military lorries ferrying coffins through the city of Bergamo on Thursday

With the country having just witnessed its third-highest one-day rise in deaths since the outbreak began - for a total of more than 7,500 - it is hard for Italians to see a glimmer of hope.
And yet there are grounds for it: the rate of new infections has slowed again and the government-run national research council says almost half of all provinces have already hit the peak of the outbreak.
But while the containment measures seem to be working in Lombardy, the worst-hit region in the north, poorer parts of central and southern Italy are seeing a worrying rise in deaths. The president of Campania, the region around Naples, warned of “the real prospect that Lombardy’s tragedy is about to become the south’s tragedy".
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has promised a second package to ease the economic impact worth at least €25bn (£23bn), with the EU’s third-largest economy likely to plunge into its deepest recession in a generation.

Scottish orders for protective gear 'got clogged up'

Scotland’s chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood says that every health worker should be able to get appropriate protective equipment by next week.
They are changing the way they distribute equipment, she says, after the system got “clogged up with huge orders that didn’t get processed because the orders couldn’t be fulfilled”.
She says the changes to the distribution process mean the supply “shouldn’t be a problem next week.”
Dr Calderwood also says she agrees with a senior medic who said they were expecting a coronavirus “tsunami” in the coming weeks.So far, 22 people with Covid-19 have died in Scotland while 719 cases have been confirmed. The true figure is thought to be much higher.

More than 200 Brits stranded in Philippines

We've brought you an update on British travellers' struggles to get out of Peru after the country suddenly closed its borders last week and we're seeing similar stories around the world.
On Monday there was British nurse Hollie Hunt, stranded for more than a week on an island in the Philippines after domestic flights in the country were cancelled because of strict Covid-19 quarantine measures.
Now Hollie and her friends are waiting at Manila airport for an early morning flight back to the UK via Oman.
“We spent more than £800 each on the tickets,” Hollie told me. “We missed our original flights with Emirates. It’s very frustrating.”
Hollie’s travel woes follow advice by UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab that all British tourists and short-stay travellers abroad should return to the UK where commercial flight options are still available.
The British Embassy in Manila says it is aware of around 235 people currently stranded in the Philippines.
All direct flights to the UK have been suspended and many transit routes via other countries have been closed.
But some Britons have taken to social media to say the remaining flights are too expensive and are urging the British government to organise a charter flight to bring them home, just as they have done for those stuck in Peru.

Saudi Arabia to chair G20 virtual summit

The nations will discuss a global action plan to tackle the pandemic.

King Salman tweeted:
As the world confronts the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges to healthcare systems and the global economy, we convene this extraordinary G20 summit to unite efforts towards a global response.
May God spare humanity from all harm.

The Gulf kingdom - which has reported 900 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and two related deaths - is tightening a curfew on Thursday, banning people from entering or leaving the capital Riyadh and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
In other developments:

• Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah movement said it was mobilising some 25,000 doctors, nurses and activists and readying hospitals to help combat the outbreak. Lebanon has reported six deaths and 333 cases
  
• Yemen’s warring parties welcomed a UN appeal for an immediate truce to prepare to fight the pandemic. Yemen has not reported any cases of Covid-19 but it is already experiencing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis
  
• Iran, where 2,234 people have died and 29,406 have been infected, announced new restrictions, banning travel between cities and extending the closure of schools and universities amid fears of a “second wave” of infections
  

Brits to thank health workers with round of applause

People in the UK are preparing to thank National Health Service (NHS) workers with a nationwide round of applause.
It was the idea of Dutch yoga instructor Annemarie Plas who wanted to show doctors, nurses, GPs and carers some national gratitude.
Her suggestion was picked up and supported by the likes of Victoria Beckham and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
People are being ask to clap from their front doors, gardens, balconies, wherever they may be, at 20:00 local time.

Record unemployment claims in US

More than three million people filed for unemployment benefits in the US last week. The New York Times reports that this is a record figure.

Tokyo at 'critical stage'

Authorities in the Japanese capital want to avoid an "explosion" of new infections. Wednesday saw a record 41 new cases discovered.
The world’s most populous city has so far been spared the draconian measures seen in other major global centres but two days after the 2020 Olympics were postponed Tokyo's governor said the city was at a "critical stage".
In other developments around Asia:

• India announced a $22.6bn (£19bn) bailout to help tackle the Covid-19 pandemic Read more about the financial package.
  
• Malaysia’s king and queen are self-quarantining after staff at their palace tested positive
  
• Singapore looks to be heading for its first full-year recession in about two decades, according to initial growth figures for this quarter..This suggests the global economy is also set for a sharp contraction
  
• Thailand is now under a state of emergency
  
• And finally, good news. Hwang Young-Joo, 97, has become the oldest person in South Korea to recover from the virus. She’s now back at home in Cheongdo. We'll bring more details when we can
  

Moscow pensioners and chronically ill ordered to stay home

In Moscow, pensioners and those with chronic illnesses have been ordered to stay at home from today and in my own neighbourhood there are fewer on the streets. Those out seem to be on their way to food shops and chemists, which is still allowed. There was no sign of anyone policing the new measures. But any over-65s who did try to use the metro as usual this morning found that their free passes had been blocked. Around 63,000 gave it a go, presumably mostly those who are still working.
Moscow transport department says there are now 43% fewer passengers on the metro overall, as people increasingly work from home. There was also a sliver of good news: with less car traffic, there’s a 28% reduction in accidents.
A much wider shutdown will begin in Moscow on Saturday – for a week, for now – including cafes, restaurants and major parks. That follows President Putin’s announcement of a ‘non-working week’ across the country.
The Kremlin today insisted that there is currently "de facto no epidemic" in Russia, with 840 confirmed cases and two deaths, and these measures are about slowing the virus’s spread. Even so, Mr Putin said the country was preparing for every possible scenario.

US unemployment 'doesn't reflect the full picture'

erome Powell, the head of America’s central bank said in a rare TV appearance that the US “may well be in recession” and warned that the virus would dictate when it was safe to reopen the economy.
It comes as a record 3.28 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week as the lockdowns take their toll on the labour market.
And this number – as big as it is - doesn’t reflect the full picture. Many people, from the self employed to gig workers to independent contractors, don’t qualify.
Plus given the scale of the jobs crisis, there are reports of people having problems making a claim due to websites that keep crashing from too much traffic and phone lines that are jammed.

Cough at a key worker, get a criminal record

There's been a number of reports - thankfully very much a minority - of people coughing at the UK's key workers while claiming to have coronavirus.
Today Max Hill QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales, said he was appalled by these reports - and warned that anyone who deliberately coughs at police, NHS staff or shop workers who are keeping the nation going will face the full force of the law.
That's because coughing at anyone at all - including the public - in such circumstances is assault. The maximum sentence for common assault is six months in jail - and up to two years for attacking an emergency worker carrying out their duties.
Mr Hill says: “Let me be very clear: this is a crime and needs to stop. The CPS stands behind emergency and essential workers and will not hesitate to prosecute anybody who threatens them as they go about their vital duties.”
England has seen two men convicted - one jailed for crimes including threatening to spit at police officers. The Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland has also charged a 39-year-old man in similar alleged circumstances.

Appeal launched to 'save' beer in Czech Republic

Some coronavirus news from the land that gave you lager.
An appeal has been launched in the Czech Republic to "save" the equivalent of 1,305,552 pints of craft beer that will go off "within weeks" if it is not drunk.
The beer is languishing undrunk in barrels in 32 craft breweries across the country. All pubs and restaurants are closed to the public (they can serve through hatches) but customers can buy direct from breweries.
Pale lager as we know it was invented in the Czech city of Pilsen in 1842. The Czech Republic has the highest per capita beer consumption in the world.

Fake government texts spread on social media

Photos of messages claiming to be from the government and threatening fines have been circulating on social media.
The UK government has sent out a text explaining the new rules, but some people are posting images implying that the government is actively tracking people and fining those who leave their homes.
It's unclear whether people are actually getting such texts from scammers, or whether there are doctored screenshots circulating.
Some of the fake messages say a “fine will be automatically added to your [phone] bill”.
The government says it has sent out "only one text message" and “others claiming to be from the UK government… are false”.
There have also been several Facebook posts claiming to show a scam where members of the public receive a text telling them to share card details in order to receive a relief payment from the government.
These are scams, according to fact-checker Full Fact

China drastically cuts flights in and out of country

China has announced it is drastically cutting flights in and out of the country in a bid to prevent another outbreak of coronavirus.
Authorities are worried the virus might be imported back into the country.
The new rules, announced by China's Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC), come into place on 29 March.
From that date, each Chinese airline is only allowed to maintain one route to any specific country with only one flight a week.
Foreign airlines are only allowed to maintain one route to China with only one flight a week.
Flights to and from China must have a passenger load of no more than 75%.
Passenger planes are also now allowed to be used as all-cargo flights.
CAAC warned it may need to further reduce the total number of international flights.

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UK MPs want to maintain scrutiny

The UK's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is being urged to face MPs online now Parliament has shut early.
The Commons broke up for its Easter break last night - rather than 31 March - because of the outbreak but some politicians are worried it means the government won't face scrutiny over its handling of the crisis.
Conservative MP and former minister Tobias Ellwood has written to Mr Johnson calling on him to hold two online meetings a week with chairs of select committees to allow for "partial scrutiny".
Earlier, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle told MPs work would take place throughout the break to ensure they had the technology they needed to stay connected, with a hope they could create a "virtual Parliament".

Cautious hope and relief in Wuhan

In China, the people of Wuhan, who have been at the centre of the coronavirus pandemic, are finally seeing rays of hope more than two months after the city was put under lockdown. China’s authorities say travel restrictions on the city of 11 million will be lifted on 8 April.
Things are already starting to ease – schools are still shut, but public transport is resuming and mask-wearing residents have begun taking walks in city parks.
“I feel joy because we lost the freedom of movement for more than 60 days,” says Mr Li, 53, who lives in Wuhan.
He’s looking forward to going back to work in the building trade. Construction was put on hold so he has been using his savings to make ends meet and now he wants to meet his relatives and friends.
But residents are not in the mood for celebrations.
“So many people have died, but the truth is still shrouded. Wuhan and the world are still struggling in pain,” says Mr Li.
Some are worried about the stigma Wuhan people face. “I feel sad. My hometown is ravaged,” says a lawyer who wishes to remain anonymous. “People here are discriminated against in our own land. But what have the people and the city done wrong?”
There has also been anxiety about a possible new wave of infections once the restrictions are removed. “We will keep our guard up,” another resident, Xiao Long, says. “I think the people of Wuhan are ready for a long-term battle with the virus.”

Borders closed 25 years after Schengen

On 26 March 1995, the Schengen Area - a huge zone allowing people to travel across huge swathes of Europe without border checks - came into force.
But 25 years later to the day nearly every European state has closed or restricted its borders, in a bid to tackle the spreading coronavirus outbreak.

G20 nations to inject $5tn into global economy

The G20 nations have pledged to inject $5 trillion (£4tn) into the global economy to try to combat the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
The announcement came at the end of a virtual summit hosted by Saudi Arabia.

We will overcome this together, says G20

A few minutes ago we reported on a pledge by leaders of the G20 to inject trillions of dollars into the global economy to tackle the coronavirus crisis. Here's a bit more on what they had to say at their virtual summit:

The unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic is a powerful reminder of our interconnectedness and vulnerabilities. The virus respects no borders. Combatting this pandemic calls for a transparent, robust, co-ordinated, large-scale and science-based global response in the spirit of solidarity. We are strongly committed to presenting a united front against this common threat. from G20 summit statement
The unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic is a powerful reminder of our interconnectedness and vulnerabilities. The virus respects no borders. Combatting this pandemic calls for a transparent, robust, co-ordinated, large-scale and science-based global response in the spirit of solidarity. We are strongly committed to presenting a united front against this common threat.
G20 summit statement

They also said they were confident that "working closely together, we will overcome this together". And that they valued the postponement of major public events such as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
[url=https://g20.org/en/media/Documents/G20_Extraordinary G20 Leaders%E2%80%99 Summit_Statement_EN (1).pdf]Here's their official statement.[/url]

Latest UK numbers

A further six people who tested positive for coronavirus in Wales have died, bringing its total number of deaths to 28, Public Health Wales says.
It came as three coronavirus patients in Scotland died, bringing the total deaths there to 25.
And a further three people died in Northern Ireland, bringing its total to 10.
Latest figures for England and the UK as a whole will be released later. The government has said it is currently changing the way deaths are recorded.
In other developments:

• The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Wales has risen to 741 and in Scotland to 894
  
• Scotland’s chief medical officer says around 40-50,000 people in the country may be infected
  
• A second serving prisoner in the UK has died after contracting coronavirus
  

Tour de France considers going ahead - without fans

While most major sporting events in the next few months have been cancelled or postponed, the Tour de France is considering the option of going ahead without spectators.
France's Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu says it is "still too early to decide" whether or not the race - due to run from 27 June to 19 July - will go ahead.
But, she adds, staging the event "behind closed doors" would not have the same financial impact as on other sports because the Tour de France does not rely on ticket sales.

Pangolins found to carry viruses related to Covid-19

Pangolins smuggled into China have been confirmed to contain viruses closely related to the one sweeping the world.
Sale of the animals in wildlife markets should be strictly prohibited to minimise the risk of future outbreaks, says an international team.
Pangolins are the most-commonly illegally trafficked mammal, used both as food and in traditional medicine.
Bats are thought to be the original viral source, with another species playing a role in human transmission.

Cluster reported in West Bank after first Palestinian death

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has reported a new cluster of coronavirus cases in a village in the occupied West Bank, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Palestinian territories to 84.
On Wednesday night, officials announced the first Palestinian death linked to Covid-19 - a woman in her 60s. She lived in the West Bank village of Biddu, where a further 15 coronavirus cases have now been revealed.
Officials said her son had recently tested positive for the virus, linking it to his recent return from working in Israel, where there have been more than 2,600 confirmed cases and eight deaths.
The PA has called for Palestinian workers in Israel to come back to the West Bank - but it’s creating unease.
After another man returned showing symptoms, the Palestinian governor of the area said any worker who came back without self-isolating would be "arrested and dealt with as if he was a criminal charged with premeditated murder".
Before the outbreak, about 150,000 Palestinians crossed checkpoints every day from the West Bank to work in Israel - many as labourers or cleaners. As part of measures to prevent further spread of the virus, 30,000 workers have been permitted to remain in Israel only if they stay for at least two months, usually in accommodation meant to be provided by an employer.

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China suspends entry to foreigners

China has announced it is temporarily suspending entry into the country by foreign nationals holding visas or residence permits.
The move comes as the country attempts to stop the coronavirus being imported back into China.
The suspension will take effect from 28 March.
Policies such as visa free transit entries will also be stopped.
People coming to China for “necessary” economic, trade, scientific or technical activities or out of emergency humanitarian needs have been told to apply for visas at Chinese embassies or consulates.
Entry for diplomats is not affected.

Fines up to £960 for breaking UK anti-virus rules

People who repeatedly flout new UK rules on social distancing and gathering in groups could face fines up to £960, under a new law.
Legislation to give police forces the power to enforce the rules in England specifies the standard fine would be £60, or £30 if paid within two weeks.
Those who break the rules a second time would be fined £120, with the charge doubling for every new offence up to the £960 maximum.
However, police chiefs have been keen to stress they want to try to enforce the rules through persuasion where possible.
On Thursday, Derbyshire Police released a video showing people still making non-essential trips to the Peak District.

What pledges have the G20 leaders made?

Earlier, we reported the pledge by G20 leaders to inject $5 trillion into the global economy for the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.
It comes after the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, called for action from the group, asking for an "immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world" to "focus together on the true fight of our lives".
We have gone through the joint statement from the G20 leaders after their meeting today with a fine-tooth comb, and here's what else you need to know:

• The leaders have "strongly committed to presenting a united front against this common threat"
  
• They pledge to take "all necessary health measures" to protect people, especially the most vulnerable
  
• They promise to share research and best practices on the virus and vaccines, and to increase manufacturing capabilities for medical equipment
  
• The leaders say they will use "all available policy tools to minimise the economic and social damage from the pandemic"
  
• Finance ministers from the countries and Central Bank governors will work together to develop a G20 action plan on the economy
  
• They will work together to ensure the flow of trade - especially medicines - isn't disrupted
  
• They will support developing and the least developed countries - notably countries in Africa and small island states, where health systems and economies may be less able to cope
  
• They also pledge to provide assistance where necessary to repatriate citizens
  
• Finally, the G20 leaders say they "stand ready to react promptly and take any further action that may be required"
  

Latest from Africa: Transport bans and pay cuts

African states have been stepping up efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Infection rates on the 54-nation continent are still low - 2,700 cases in 46 states.
There are fears that the number will rise rapidly because of cross-infections, overwhelming health services on the mainly poor continent.
In the latest developments:

• Uganda has banned all public transport with immediate effect, creating fear and panic in the capital, Kampala. The security forces have shutting down businesses in the capital and Kampala's streets are now mainly deserted
  
• Nigeria, Africa’s most-populous state with an estimated population of 200 million, says it will ban all travel in the country, but has not yet indicated from when
  
• In Kenya, East Africa’s biggest economy, President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced a night-time curfew from Friday
  
• Kenya's president has also taken an 80% pay cut, as he prepares the nation for tough economic times - and has urged other officials to follow suit
  
• Meanwhile, Germany says it will not be paying for six-million face masks it had ordered but had not received after they went missing at an airport in Kenya
  
• Back in Nigeria the government received a donation, including 100,000 face masks, from Chinese billionaire Jack Ma
  
• In South Africa, leading evangelist Andy Buchan says he has tested positive for Covid-19, while local media reports that a man who won 7.4m rand ($426,000; £354,000) in the lottery will have to wait until the nationwide lockdown ends to pick up the money. The three-week shut down starts on Friday, and panic-buying is continuing
  

UK government press conference coming up...

It is that time of day again when we are soon expecting to hear the daily update from the UK government.
Today’s press conference will take place at 17:00 GMT and be led by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, with details on how he plans to help the self-employed during the coronavirus outbreak.
It comes after mounting pressure on the government to help freelance workers and contractors in the same way they are helping the employed.
We will bring you all the updates as they happen and you can watch the press conference on BBC One and the BBC News channel.

The UK picture

We will soon be hearing from the UK government about its latest measures to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.
But what is the current situation in the country?

• The number of deaths in the UK has risen to 465, out of 9,500 confirmed cases. An update to the UK-wide figures is expected later
  
• New laws come into force to give police more powers to fine people who do not stick to isolation measures
  
• About 170 Britons stranded in Peru have returned to the UK on the first government-chartered flight
  
• The government extends its target for volunteers to help the NHS to 750,000, after an "amazing" 560,000 people signed up since Tuesday
  
• People in the UK are being asked to stand at their windows to applaud NHS workers at 20:00 GMT
  

UK emergency laws give police more powers

New emergency legislation in the UK says no one in the country is allowed to leave their home “without reasonable excuse”.
Several new activities which are permitted have been added to a list outlined by the Prime Minister on Monday.
They include moving house, fulfilling legal obligations, accessing critical public services and to escape injury, illness or the risk of harm.
There is no limit in the legislation on the number of times each day a person may leave their premises.
Police now have powers to “direct” and “remove” people to their homes and use “reasonable force” to do so, if they’re not complying with the new laws.
Fixed penalty fines can be imposed on people who flout the rules on being at home or gathering in groups of three or more by community support officers, local authority wardens, as well as police officers.
The legislation says prosecutions may be brought.
The measures - which last six months - must be reviewed every three weeks.

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New York Governor: Federal aid package is 'irresponsible, reckless'

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was “disappointed” with the $2tn (£1.6tn) aid bill passed by the US Senate on Wednesday.
“The congressional action, in my opinion, simply failed to address the governmental need,” Cuomo said at his daily press briefing.
“I find it irresponsible, I find it reckless.”
New York state remains the epicentre of the outbreak in the US.
As of Thursday, 37,258 people in New York have been diagnosed with Covid-19 - accounting for more than half the cases throughout the country. At least 385 people in the state have died from the virus.
The aid package - the largest economic stimulus bill in US history - includes direct payments of $1,200 to most American adults and aid to help small businesses pay workers.
New York received $5bn from the aid package, Cuomo said, as the state faces $10bn-$15bn in revenue loss as a result of coronavirus.
Amid country-wide shortages of medical supplies, Cuomo said New York had enough personal protective equipment for the immediate future - around 1-2 weeks.
But that any “realistic” scenario will “overwhelm hospitals”, he said. “You cannot get the curve down low enough.”

• 
  

  The latest in Europe

  
  European leaders are discussing the best response to the growing pandemic in a video summit, as official figures record the growing death toll across the continent.
  Here are the latest developments:
  
  
  
  • Italy’s death toll rose by 662 to a total of 8,165, and the total number of infected rose to 80,539. It’s a mixed picture: while the one-day rise in deaths is slightly lower than in previous days, the rate of infection has risen again. As the BBC’s Rome correspondent Mark Lowen puts it, “still a mountain to climb”
    
  
  
  
• A total of 4,089 people have died in Spain, with 56,188 confirmed cases across the country. The Spanish parliament has agreed to extend the country’s state of emergency until at least 12 April to tackle the outbreak – but the newspaper El Pais reports that new testing kits sent over by China were not working
  
• Belgium recorded its highest numbers for the spread of the virus in a single day. In just 24 hours it recorded 1,298 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 6,235. The death toll so far is 220. Health officials told the BBC they are preparing for an “explosion in patient numbers”
  
• And on 25th anniversary of the Schengen Area coming into force, nearly all nations in Europe have enforced some border controls. Europe’s border agency Frontex tweeted a map
  showing the restrictions.
  

Malaysian men in shopping muddle amid lockdown

The Malaysian government's decision to allow only "the head of the family" to leave the house to shop as part of measures to suppress the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak has had unintended consequences.
Some men are unexpectedly finding themselves responsible for the grocery shopping and suddenly having to distinguish between bewildering varieties of vegetables, spices and herbs.
"Govt allowing a man to shop unsupervised? Disaster," was the immediate jokey conclusion of one woman on Twitter.See here for more on Malaysian men struggling with their new responsibilities.

Round-up: Sunak announces help for self-employed

Chancellor Rishi Sunak's press conference to announce government support for self-employed people affected by coronavirus has finished.
Here’s what we learned:

• Self-employed people will be able to apply for a taxable grant to cover 80% of average monthly profits over the last three years
  
• Support will be capped at £2,500 per month, available to those with with a trading profit of less than £50,000 last year
  
• More than half of a claimant's income needs to come from self-employment, and they must have a tax return for last year
  
• The scheme will initially cover three months, backdated to March, and be paid as a lump sum in June
  
• Mr Sunak said support was being targeted "at those who need it most" and the self-employed "have not been forgotten"
  

UK death toll rises to 578

The number of people to have died with coronavirus in the UK has risen to 578, the Department of Health said.
It said that, as of 09:00 GMT, a total of 11,658 people had tested positive for the virus.

Number of infections surpass 500,000

The number of reported coronavirus infections around the world has surpassed 500,000.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, there have now been more than 510,000 cases of the virus globally.
More than 22,000 people have died. The worst hit country is Italy, which has now recorded a death toll of 8,165.

UK to 'consider' EU ventilator scheme after all

The UK government was being hit with criticism earlier for not joining a EU scheme to get ventilators to the health providers that need them.
But it seems like it was just a case of the invite being lost in the mail.
The prime minister's spokesman said this morning that the UK was "making it's own efforts" to source more ventilators.
But this statement has now been updated to say: “Owing to an initial communication problem, the UK did not receive an invitation in time to join in four joint procurements in response to the coronavirus pandemic."
The spokesman says the European Commission has confirmed the UK is eligible to take part in any further procurements though during the so-called transition period after Brexit.
So, he adds: "We will consider participating in future procurement schemes on the basis of public health requirements at the time."

Italy death toll rises by 712

A total of 712 people have died from the coronavirus in Italy in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 8,215.
It was earlier reported that 662 had died in the last day, but the Civil Protection Agency's data did not include 50 victims from the Piedmont region.
The new numbers show a spike in deaths after 683 died on Wednesday. That followed 743 deaths on Tuesday, 602 on Monday, 650 on Sunday and a record of 793 on Saturday.
The new infection rate is up again, rising to 80,539 from a previous 74,386 - the highest number of new cases since 21 March, the agency said.

Mexican protesters tell Americans to ‘stay at home’

Residents in Sonora, Mexico - south of the US state of Arizona - have promised to block American traffic into Mexico for a second day amid fears that untested American travellers will spread Covid-19.
Donning face masks, the protesters held signs telling Americans to “stay at home”.
Mexico has less than 500 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, compared to 69,197 in the US.
This border is supposed to be closed - with the exception of “essential” business - but resident say there has been little enforcement and no testing by authorities.

France sees sharp increase in death toll

France reported 365 new deaths from coronavirus on Thursday, taking the total to 1,696.
The country saw 231 deaths on Wednesday.

87% of world's students hit by school closures

School closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic are now affecting 87% of the global school population, says Unesco.
The UN’s education agency says 1.5 billion children are missing school in 165 countries.
“Never before have we witnessed educational disruption on such a scale,” says Unesco’s director general, Audrey Azoulay.
Many children are relying on distance learning to continue their education – which is more difficult for deprived families and in countries with less access to technology.
In response, Unesco is launching a “global education coalition” of international organisations and private businesses to keep children learning.
Google and Microsoft are among the firms taking part, alongside the World Health Organisation, the OECD and Unicef.
There are particular concerns about the wealth gap, with the poorest children most likely to lose out from the school closures and the reliance on online technology.
Unesco says it will develop “hi-tech, low-tech and no-tech” responses to support those currently excluded from school.

UK deaths rise by more than 100 in a day

The number of people in the UK who have died with coronavirus has jumped by more than 100 in a day for the first time.
The death toll has risen from 475 to 578 by 17:00 GMT on Wednesday, health officials have confirmed.

'Some hospitals in London are on the brink'

Some hospitals in London are clearly on the brink. The NHS says there will be beds found elsewhere for patients if needed, but doctors at these hospitals are clearly very apprehensive.
They are still very worried about a lack of protective equipment though the government have stressed they are trying to get this out to them as soon as possible.
Another issue is the testing of NHS workers. The government line again is they are trying to do this with some urgency.
The London problem is very much a problem for London - hospitals elsewhere are ready for patients but there have been fewer admissions.
There are preparations for conference centres like the ExCeL in London to also be used in Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.
Another 8,000 ventilators have been been ordered on top of the 8,000 already there - that doesn't include the ones from Dyson - but there is no timeline on when they will arrive yet.

26th March continued ... (Part 3) (another busy day for Corona!)


20:00

Let the clapping commence...

And applause has begun to echo around the UK as people show their appreciation for NHS staff working tirelessly through the coronavirus crisis.

20:05

Question Time begins...

France deaths include 16-year-old girl

A 16-year-old girl is among 365 people who have been confirmed dead in France as the country faces its highest daily death toll.
Top French health official Jerome Salomon said that the girl had died in the Ile-de-France region of Paris but said no further details would be given.
"Severe forms (of coronavirus) with the young are very rare," he noted.​​
A total of 1,696 people have died in hospital in France from the virus, although the toll does not include those who have passed away at home or at retirement homes, he said.
A total of 29,155 people had tested positive for the virus so far, he added.
France has been on lockdown since March 17.
"It is very difficult to estimate when the peak will come... people who are ill now were infected before the confinement began," explained Salomon.

Horton: Lack of equipment 'national scandal'

The next question is from a local GP who is having to self isolate, asking about the lack of testing and equipment in the health service.
The Lancet's Richard Horton it is "a national scandal", adding: "We shouldn't be in this position."
Mr Horton says the UK "knew this was coming" at the end of January, but the government "wasted February".
He adds: "We are putting health workers in the front line without the armour to protect themselves."
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick says it is a "big challenge", but the government is "ramping up supply rapidly".
However, he cannot answer when hospitals will have all the equipment they need.

Criticism over UK testing rates

There's another audience question on protective equipment, this time for NHS workers on mental health wards.
"We don't seem to seem to provide the most basic protection," says Labour's Emily Thornberry.
She also criticises the government's testing regime, saying not enough is being done, and this is making the outbreak "difficult to manage".
A similar point is made by Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of medical journal the Lancet, who also says more testing needs to be done.
He says the government "forgot the most fundamental principles of outbreak control".
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick defends the government's approach, saying contact did go on in the early stages of the outbreak and ministers have been following scientific advice.

Labour's Emily Thornberry continues on the issue of testing, calling it "ironic" that the UK invented the test, but isn't using it.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick says her conclusion isn't fair, claiming the UK's approach is "broadly similar to others".
But presenter Fiona Bruce says Germany has increased its number of tests to 500,000 a week while the UK has only conducted 90,000 overall.
Mr Jenrick says the UK is "ramping up" testing, and the industry is "working as hard as it possibly can and round the clock to get as many tests as possible".
He adds that the government will be able to step up the numbers "quite significantly in the next week or so", and says when antibody tests come into play - which will show who has already had the virus - it could be "a game changer".

Brazil's Bolsonaro gives go-ahead for churches to stay open

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has announced that places of worship count as “essential services” making them exempt from confinement orders.
Under the decree, “religious activities of any kind” are classed alongside supermarkets and pharmacies.
Most places of worship in the country have already closed.
The governor of Sao Paulo recommended places of worship shut for 60 days.
Some evangelical leaders have welcomed Mr Bolsonaro’s decision.
Silas Malafaia, head of one of the country’s largest pentecostal churches, the Assembly of God, said: “In this pandemic of panic, no hospital can calm people down, but religion can.”
Just 10 days ago, Mr Bolsonaro was criticised for holding a rally during the outbreak. He was pictured shaking hands and taking selfies with supporters.
Cases of coronavirus have risen in Brazil with the figure currently standing at 2,433 confirmed cases and 57 deaths.

A third of UK coronavirus deaths in London

There are now 578 people in the UK who have died with coronavirus.
Of those, 184 have died in London - just under a third.

Paralympian takes up medical role

Two-time British Paralympian Kim Daybell has swapped table tennis for working on the frontline of the NHS during the coronavirus crisis.
The 27-year-old completed his medical degree in 2018 and since then has been combining sport with working part-time as a junior doctor.
But now that the Paralympics have been postponed, instead of training for Tokyo, he is working full-time at the Whittington Hospital in north London.

Jenrick: It is on all of us

UK Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick is pushed again on the timing - how long will all these measures last?
He says the government will review things at Easter but adds: "No-one is pretending this is going to be over by [then].
"What we do think is if each and every one of us does what we are asked... there is reason to believe within [12 weeks] we could see the beginnings of the turn of the tide, but it is on all of us."
The Lancet's Richard Horton says the public must be prepared for the "really tough challenge" of 12 weeks with these conditions.
"But if we don't suppress it, it is going to go on even longer," he adds. "We have to be tough now in order to get through this and return the economy to some semblance of order."
Mr Horton ends the programme with a warning the virus could return later in the year with a second, or even a third wave, adding: "We just don't know enough about this new virus."

Portable morgues as New York prepares for the worst

Long, white, rectangular-shaped trucks are parked outside of Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan and Elmhurst Hospital in Queens. The trucks are refrigerated morgues, last used after the 9/11 attacks. Now they are ready for the pandemic, providing a place for bodies if the city morgues fill up.
There are more than 21,000 cases of the virus in the city and, as New York state governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday, the number of those in hospitals increased by 40% in the past 24 hours.
In addition to deploying the trucks, New York officials are turning to the federal government for help.
The New York officials, as well as those from North Carolina and Hawaii, have asked Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) for “emergency mortuary assistance”, according to Politico

UK's NHS partners with US tech giants

Our technology desk editor Leo Kelion reports how the UK's National Health Service (NHS) is working with three US technology firms to co-ordinate medical equipment during the coronavirus outbreak.
The NHS will partner with Amazon, Microsoft and Palantir - as well as UK-based Faculty AI - to develop a "dashboard" to bring together data including where ventilators are being used and how long patients with Covid-19 are spending in hospital.
The scheme hopes to flag emerging hotspots and that a version of the dashboard could be released to the public.
Read more here.

UK lockdown: Before and after

Stuck at home and wondering what it looks like outside? Well, very quiet.
Here's Buckingham Palace just a couple of weeks ago...


And this week...

‘Cases doubling every day in New York’

Craig Spencer, the director of global health in emergency medicine at New York Medical Center, has been speaking to the BBC of fears that hospitals in New York are already very close to being overwhelmed.
The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, had compared the speed of the spread to "a bullet train" but has since said there are signs the spread may be slowing.

'Millions could die if governments fail to act'

From the team that’s been assessing the risks to the UK comes a study of the global impact of the pandemic, and it makes grim reading.
The scientists conclude that only with the most draconian and rapid action can a death toll running into many millions be avoided. Around the world as many as 30 million lives could be saved if governments take quick action, a study by scientists at Imperial College London says.
In the least developed countries, with large households including older people more at risk from infection, the effects may be devastating. In the worst scenarios, where healthcare systems are weak, the numbers needing intensive care may be 25 times greater than what can be provided.
The work is based on computer simulations, known as models. The scientists are careful to say they’re not offering exact predictions but instead a broad perspective of the dangers for governments of not responding quickly.

US record due to testing, says Trump

As we reported earlier, there are now more confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the US than in any other country in the world.
At 82,404 cases, it has overtaken both China with 81,782 cases and Italy with 80,589 cases, according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.
Asked at a press conference if he was surprised America had overtaken China, US President Donald Trump said "it’s a tribute to the amount of testing that we’re doing".
The president also suggested that China’s numbers were higher than was being reported.

Indy 500 and other sporting events moved or cancelled

The Indy 500 - one of the biggest motorsport races in the world - has become the latest major sporting event to be postponed.
The American race will now take place on 23 August instead of 24 May because of the coronavirus.
Several other sports competitions have been moved or cancelled today.

• Motorcycling’s Ulster Grand Prix, which has been struggling for money, was due to take place in November but has now been cancelled after the current crisis made finding a solution impossible
  
• June’s World Para Athletics European Championships in Poland have been postponed with no new date set
  
• The football season in England from the seventh tier downwards has been cancelled, with all results expunged and no teams promoted or relegated
  

UK donates £210m towards vaccine research

The UK government has announced an extra £210m in funding for international researchers working to find a coronavirus vaccine.
The latest donation, announced following a call between G20 leaders earlier, is on top of £40m already pledged by the UK.
It will go towards research done by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, headquartered in Norway.
The foundation recently called on governments to provide an extra $2bn (£1.64bn) to help it develop a vaccine

Alcohol is 'unhelpful coping strategy'

A cold beer or glass of red wine might seem exactly what you want right now if you have been ordered to stay at home, but experts have warned alcohol is an "unhelpful coping strategy".
Experts from the European arm of the World Health Organization (WHO) say it is "natural" to feel anxious or lonely because of coronavirus restrictions but that substances like alcohol "will not help to manage the stress of self-isolation".
The recommendation comes a day after off-licences were added to the UK government's list of retailers allowed to stay open.
Dr Aiysha Malik, technical officer for the WHO department of mental health, says: "When we’re staying at home routines are very important for creating a sense of structure.
"Minimising the unhelpful coping strategies of using tobacco or alcohol can also be important for wellbeing and minimising content you might find distressing in the news."

Trump: Naval hospital ship to reach New York by Monday

The naval hospital ship USNS Comfort will leave Virginia on Saturday, reaching New York Harbour on Monday, three weeks ahead of schedule, President Trump said at his daily press briefing.
The ship will help lighten the load for New York’s hospitals - now overwhelmed by the coronavirus outbreak.
The state is the centre of the US crisis, home to at least 37,258 Covid-19 infections and 385 deaths.
Trump will travel to Virginia to “kiss it goodbye,” he said.
“It’s an extraordinary step,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said last week of the ship. “It’s literally a floating hospital.”
The president also repeated his calls for Americans to return to work as soon as possible.
“We have to get back to work, our people want to work,” he said. “This is the United States of America, they don’t want to sit around and wait.”

22:46

Our live coverage is pausing

Here's a recap of the day's main developments:

• In the past hour, the US has become the country with the biggest number of confirmed cases of the virus in the world. It now has 82,404 cases, ahead of China on 81,782
  
• Globally the number of confirmed cases has passed 500,000
  
• Several European countries have posted heavy death tolls - in Italy there were 712 deaths in the past 24 hours, in Spain 655 and in France 365, including a 16-year-old girl in the Paris region
  
• The UK recorded more than 100 deaths within a day for the first time. The death toll has risen to 587
  
• A record number of Americans have filed for unemployment - nearly 3.3 million people registered to claim jobless benefits for the week ended 21 March
  

• British Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled aid for self-employed people, who will be able to apply for a grant worth 80% of their average monthly profits.
  
• British people - including the Queen and other members of the Royal Family - have applauded health workers caring for those suffering from the coronavirus
  

Summary for 27th March

More than half a million infected worldwide

There are now almost 530,000 people worldwide confirmed with the new coronavirus. While more than 120,000 have recovered, the global death toll stands at just under 24,000.
The country with the highest number is now the United States, with 83,836 cases. That's followed by China with 81,782 - although most of those have recovered and the number of new infections in the country where the outbreak started is tiny.
In Europe, the worst-hit country remains Italy with more than 80,000 cases, and the world's worst death toll at 8,215.
Spain, Germany, France and Iran all have between 30,000 and 60,000 cases and the UK has now almost 12,000 confirmed infections and 580 deaths.

Epicentre of the epicentre: New York state

Looking at those US numbers in a bit more detail is illuminating. More testing explains this steep rise in confirmed infections: 83,836 is the number right now, but that is likely to soar once again.
So far 1,209 people have died and 681 have recovered.
But by far the worst-affected state is New York which has seen 365 deaths and reports from hospitals in New York City depict a health system on the brink.
Observers continue to warn that the true number of US infections could be much higher - and they point the finger at a shortage of test kits.

Doctor dies in the UK from suspected coronavirus

The family of a GP who has died of suspected coronavirus have said he sacrificed his life for his profession.
Dr Habib Zaidi, 76, died in intensive care at Southend Hospital, Essex, 24 hours after falling ill on Tuesday. His daughter Dr Sarah Zaidi, also a GP, said he showed "textbook symptoms" of the virus.
If test results confirm he had Covid-19, he would be the first doctor in the UK to die from the virus.
Dr Sarah Zaidi told the BBC: "For that to be the thing that took him is too much to bear. It is reflective of his sacrifice. He had a vocational attitude to service.
"He was treated as a definitive case. There is little clinical doubt it is coronavirus, the test result is academic."
Dr Habib Zaidi, a GP in Leigh-on-Sea for more than 45 years, had been self-isolating and not seen patients in person for about a week.
His wife Dr Talat Zaidi and all their four children work in the medical profession.

Canada 'strongly opposes' US border troops plan

Canada has criticised a US proposal to deploy troops along their undefended joint border, calling it "unnecessary".
Last week, both countries agreed to close their border to non-essential travel to slow the spread of the virus. A US official said the troops would help border patrol officers enforce this ban.
But Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said it was "strongly opposed to this", calling it a "entirely unnecessary step which we would view as damaging to our relationship".
However, the Wall Street Journal is now reporting that the US has since scrapped these plans after Canada's strong objections. We'll bring you more details on this when we have them.

China to close off country to foreigners

China will soon ban foreigners with valid Chinese visas and residence permits, in a drastic move to limit the number of imported virus cases in the country.
The Foreign Ministry said the temporary ban would kick in on 28 March.
Exemptions will be given to travelling diplomats and holders of "C" visas - foreigners who provide international transportation services.
It comes as the number of imported cases continues to rise as more Chinese nationals return home.
China recorded one domestic case and 54 new imported cases on Thursday - there are now 595 imported cases across the country.
There were also five new deaths reported, bringing the total death toll to 3,292

What's happening in Australia?

Here are some of the latest developments:

• More than 3,000 people have now tested positive, with 13 deaths
  

• Federal and state leaders met this morning. There are no announcements yet - but local media reports that stricter lockdowns and rental assistance measures are being considered
  

• PM Scott Morrison has told G20 leaders that Australia will help small Pacific nations get access to "critical health services"
  
• Hundreds of Australians stranded in Peru and Uruguay will return home on specially arranged flights, the government says
  

Russia suspends international flights

Starting Friday, Russia has suspended all international flights. The only exception are special flights evacuating Russians from abroad.
Anyone still overseas has been urged to get in touch but some are stranded in countries that have already closed their borders.
Starting Saturday, all shops except pharmacies and grocery stores are to close for one week. It's what President Putin called a "non-working" in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus.
In Moscow, the mayor has ordered the closure of all bars, restaurants and city parks while international rail and sea routes to and from Russia are also closed and foreigners were stopped from entering the country a week ago.

South Africa heads into lockdown

South African has begun enforcing a three-week nationwide lockdown in an effort to stem the spread of the virus.
All but essential movement is forbidden and both the army and the police are enforcing the measures.
Food shops are allowed to stay open although alcohol sales are banned. Jogging and dog-walking are also prohibited.
Ahead of the midnight deadline there were long queues outside supermarkets as people stocked up on essentials.
South Africa has reported 927 coronavirus infections - the highest number in Africa - but so far no deaths.

Fears over Italy's south

The epicentre in Europe remains Italy and despite a slowing death rate, there are now fears that the county's south and the regions around Rome and Naples might emerge as the next hotbeds. So far, the heart of the outbreak which has killed more than 8,000 people in the county was in the north. In the past 24 hours, Italy has seen more than 700 deaths.
Here are some of the other updates from Europe:

• In Spain, the death toll rose by 655 and the number of infections is at around 60,000.
  
• In France, 365 people have died, the highest number in a one-day period. The dead included a 16-year-old girl. The country has around 30,000 confirmed cases.
  
• The UK has recorded more than 100 deaths within a day for the first time. The country's overall death toll is now 587, out of almost 12,000 cases.
  
• Germany has more than 43,000 infections with a death toll of 267
  

Australia will quarantine all returning citizens in hotels

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has just announced that all Australians returning to the nation will be quarantined for 14 days in hotels and other accommodation, rather than in their own homes.
He says this is because the majority - two-thirds of the cases in Australia - are from returning travellers.
Australia's case numbers have escalated from 700 to over 3,000 in the past week.

Fears of virus in Syrian refugee camps

There have been stark warnings from doctors, aid workers and the United Nations that camps for the displaced in North Western Syria could be devastated by an outbreak of coronavirus.
So far there are no confirmed cases, but health officials there fear as many as 100,000 might die unless medical supplies arrive urgently

The online community helping India's most vulnerable

With India under lockdown and social distancing being advised to deal with the threat of the coronavirus, an online collective of "Caremongers" is reaching out to help the elderly and other vulnerable groups.
It all began when Mahita Nagaraj received a call from a friend in the UK asking her to help arrange some medicines for her "very elderly parents".
Ms Nagaraj found out that other friends living overseas needed help checking in on their parents too - and soon, a collective emerged.
"There is so much scaremongering in the current scenario," she says.
"We are trying to address the feeling of helplessness. We are telling people to stop spreading fear and panic, and instead spread love."
Read more about India's caremongering community here

US aircraft carrier cases soar

As we've been reporting all week, a US aircraft carrier has become the first to report a number of virus cases on board.
There has now has been a sharp rise in confirmed infections, CNN says citing navy officials. While there were initially only three sailors who tested positive, that number is now 25, according to the broadcaster.
An official statement by the US navy merely says "additional positive cases of Covid-19 have been discovered aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt".
The infected are being isolated and the ship is being deep cleaned. The carrier is headed for Guam but sailors won't be allowed to go beyond the pier.

More on Australia's traveller quarantine

The mandatory quarantine in hotels will apply to all those flying in after Saturday midnight local time (13:00 GMT).
Returning Australians will be held in the city they arrive in, rather than their home state.
"If their home is in South Australia or in Perth or in Tasmania and they have arrived in Melbourne, they will be quarantining in Melbourne," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
He declined to say how many people would likely be affected but said around 7,000 people arrived in the country yesterday.
Australia has already enforced a travel ban and told returning arrivals to self-isolate in their homes for 14 days.
However reports surfaced this week of people breaking those rules, and straying outside. Mr Morrison said the military would now help police in enforcing that self-isolation.
Two-thirds of Australia's cases are imported or linked to infected people who have returned.

Jail time and fines for not social distancing

Friday night plans? Well if you’re in Singapore, you better make sure you keep one metre distance from others or you could be fined up to S$10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.
The latest regulations went into effect at 11:59pm on Thursday.
This is a pretty typical approach by Singapore’s government to make sure people do what they’re told. Penalties work here. You can still head out to restaurants and cafes, as long as you practise these safe social distancing measures. Offices and schools are open too.
The strategy appears to be shaving off salami slice pieces off our social lives bit by bit, so even if it isn’t officially called a lockdown, it certainly feels like one.
How they will enforce these new rules though - is another question altogether. The government’s language on this is ambiguous: it says if you’re caught intentionally sitting next to each other closer than a metre then you could be in violation of the law. But how do you determine what’s intentional?
While Singapore has won plaudits internationally for its efforts to combat the coronavirus, at home many people are frustrated that schools have been kept open. Clusters of infections amongst staff at a pre-school and international school have raised concerns of wider spread of the disease in the community.

Rising cases in Pakistan prompts fears of a 'disaster'

Cases in Pakistan continue to surge. The government reported 66 new cases on Thursday, taking the total to 1,057 - which is more than three times the number of cases a week ago.
There is also growing concern that the country will see a rise in imported Covid-19 cases from Iran, where the virus has spread like wildfire.
Fighting the infection in developing countries like Pakistan is particularly tough, where large extended families live together, often in crowded conditions, and where healthcare systems are already struggling.
One health expert warned the country was heading for "disaster" if adequate preventions were not implemented and another told the BBC "domestic transmission" within Pakistan was now his main concern.
Read more here.

What's the situation across South Asia?

Here are the latest updates from the region:

• positive cases continue to climb in Pakistan, the worst-hit country in the region with more than 1,000 cases, and there are growing fears of imported cases from Iran
  
• India announced a bailout of nearly $23bn (£18.8bn) for its most vulnerable and poor, but experts question if its enough. Seventeen have died so far in India, which has 640 confirmed cases
  
• a special task force in Sri Lanka is helping to "maintain" civilian life after the entire island nation was put under strict curfew.
  
• experts worry that one million Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar are vulnerable to coronavirus infections, saying the cramped camps are fertile grounds for the disease
  
• and about 500 foreign trekkers are stranded across four trekking routes in Nepal after the country locked down its borders. The country has confirmed three cases so far
  

Lockdown means lockdown in Mauritius

Countries around the world are in lockdown - although what that means varies from place to place.
In Mauritius, though, the lockdown is total - and includes supermarkets, shops, and bakeries.
There was already a curfew in place but the government said "many individuals are not respecting the laws as regards the national confinement, thus the need to implement this complete lockdown".
The measures began in the Indian Ocean island nation earlier this week and last until 31 March.
The country has 81 cases but no deaths.

Chinese city sends 50,000 masks to Japan

Here's a heartwarming story to come out of the crisis.
A Japanese city sent 4,500 masks to its sister city in China while the country was at its peak of fighting the outbreak, say local media reports.
But Toyokawa has now found itself in short supply of masks as the spread of the virus continues to worsen in Japan.
Officials in the Chinese city, Xinwu, decided it would repay the gift of face masks by more than ten-fold, sending 50,000 face masks to Toyokawa.
"We want to return the favour that was offered to us when our district was having a difficult time," said a Xinwu official, according to an Asahi Shimbun report.

Scientists race to get fastest test results

The race to find a Covid-19 test that can deliver results in the quickest time is on.
Researchers at Singapore's national agency A*STAR have so far claimed the quickest timing- they say they've developed a test that can tell if a person has Covid-19 in five minutes.
They hope to submit the test for approval in a month's time.
But they've got some competition. UK-based company Mologic Ltd say they've sent prototypes to laboratories for a 10-minute coronavirus test. They say the price of a single test will be $1, and the test could be rolled out as early as June if the trials are successful. And then there's Bosch - a common household name for many. The German company has become the latest firm to roll out a Covid-19 test. It says it can diagnose in less than two and a half hoursand that the device will be available in Germany in April.

Quarantine in a 5-star hotel

Singapore has been putting returning residents from the UK and the US into hotels to serve out their 14-day stay-at-home notice.
One resident, Marcus Chan - who's serving out his notice at the swanky 5-star Swissotel - has been tweeting pictures of his new life.
It includes his laundry being picked up in special bags to prevent contamination, his meals being sent to him (complete with menu options) and pictures of a very nice view

Ralph Lauren to make masks and gowns

Ralph Lauren is to start making medical masks and gowns - the latest designer brand to lend its support to the coronavirus fight.
The fashioner designer announced the shift in production through its charitable arm on Thursday.
The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation will start making 250,000 masks and 25,000 isolation gowns in the US.
Other fashion brands have also pledged to help make urgently needed medical wear.

India 'hotspot' reports its first deaths

Two Covid-19 patients, both around 70, have died in Bhilwara, a city in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan.
The deaths were confirmed by the chief of MG Hospital, Rajan Nanda.
"The source of the infection is still not clear. We haven’t found any foreign contact history," Dr Nanda told me.
Bhilwara, a textile manufacturing hub that is home to some 400,000 people, could well be India's first coronavirus "hotspot".
It has reported 17 positive cases as of this morning. And officials told me that more than 6,000 of the city's residents are home quarantined.
Dr Nanda said his hospital alone was testing some 950 samples, including those of the relatives of the patients who have died.
Both had underlying medical conditions such as hypertension and heart disease, he added.
India has 640 active coronavirus cases - and Rajasthan overall has reported 41 cases.

'Much respect', says Trump after Xi call

US President Donald Trump has held a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to discuss the pandemic.
The virus broke out in China late last year - and Mr Trump had repeatedly called it the "Chinese Virus".
There's none of that, though, in his tweet about the phone call.
He writes: "China has been through much & has developed a strong understanding of the Virus. We are working closely together. Much respect!"

Donald J. Trump    @realDonaldTrump

Just finished a very good conversation with President Xi of China. Discussed in great detail the CoronaVirus that is ravaging large parts of our Planet. China has been through much & has developed a strong understanding of the Virus. We are working closely together. Much respect!

Xi tells Trump that China was transparent

We now also have the Xi Jinping take on that phone call with Donald Trump.
According to Chinese state media, Mr Xi said China and US must "unite to fight the virus".
He also insisted Beijing had always been transparent about the initial outbreak - disputing a claim by Mr Trump that China told the world too late.
President Xi also said he'd offered support to the US and that he hopes Washington takes measures to safeguard the health of Chinese nationals in the US.
China is already sending help to several European, Asian and African countries struggling with high numbers of infected patients.

Balcony bingo in Australia

"Full house!" Not too full, we hope - remember that social distancing...

How to stop misinformation going viral

Coronavirus misinformation is flooding social media and messenger apps. Experts are calling on the public to practice "information hygiene".
But how? What can you do to stop the spread of bad information?
If you're in a rush, here's the lowdown:

• Stop and think. If in doubt, check the facts elsewhere
  
• Check the sources, even if they look legit it might be fake
  
• If you're not sure, then don't share
  
• Beware of emotional posts and potential bias
  

If you have more time, do read our explainer, with more details.

'Don't move house,' says UK Housing Secretary

For many in the UK who have plans of moving house this Friday, it's probably best to delay it if possible.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick went on Twitter to urge people not to move house unless absolutely necessary - and if it is, to do so while maintaining social distance.

Your worries and questions

It's a stressful time for many as the coronavirus pandemic shows no signs of slowing down. Schools have been shut, countries have closed their borders and many are in self-isolation at home.
It's hard to keep up with all of the new rules and regulations that have been put in place. We're hoping this helps to answer some of the questions you might have:
How do I know if I have the virus?
Read more here.
What does it look like to stay two metres away from someone?
Watch this to find out.
Could I get infected while doing my grocery shop?
Here's how to avoid it.
How much of a risk does the virus pose to young people?
Find out here.
How deadly is the virus?
Here's what we know so far.

Drone sprays disinfectant over Indonesian city

In the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, authorities have been trialling a mass sanitisation project since last week involving drones spraying disinfectant liquid over public and residential areas. They've adapted drones originally used in agriculture to spray crops and fields,modifying them to work in more congested settings like cities, reports Indonesian newspaper Tempo.

Couple forced to cancel wedding again

A couple from Leeds have had to cancel their wedding - again.
Gemma Turpin and Jake Moss were meant to get married on 24 April, reports the Yorkshire Evening Post. But the outbreak meant their wedding has had to be cancelled.
This isn't the first time this has happened. Their first wedding date in 2017 was also cancelled when their son, now 10, developed pneumonia.
The couple, who have been together 14 years, say they "don't have much luck".
They hope to re-book their wedding for 2021, saying they were crossing their fingers for "third time lucky"

South Africa reports first two deaths

South Africa has confirmed its first two deaths from coronavirus.
Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize said both occurred in the Western Cape - one at a private hospital, the other a public hospital.
Dr Mkhize said updated figures on coronavirus cases would be released shortly, but that they had risen to more than 1,000 since yesterday.
Security forces have begun enforcing a three-week nationwide lockdown in an effort to stem the spread of the disease.
Anyone violating the new restrictions faces six months' imprisonment or a heavy fine.

The scene in Australia

Earlier, we reported on Australia's latest preventative measure: all citizens returning from abroad will be quarantined in hotels for 14 days.
Over 3,100 cases have now been reported around the country. Several states and territories are in effect locked down. The government has also announced two economic stimulus packages worth A$189bn (£94bn, $109bn).
The governmental response has been affecting all Australians - some more than others.

Vietnam bans large public gatherings

Vietnam has become the latest country to ban large public gatherings.
It announced on Friday that indoor gatherings of more than 20 people and outdoor gatherings of 10 people or more would be banned, said a Reuters report.
There are currently 153 confirmed coronavirus cases in Vietnam, with no known deaths.
The country, which borders China, has been praised for its efforts in containing the disease. Much of this, the government says, is down to contact tracing.
"The important thing is, you need to know the number of people who might have come in contact with the disease, or returned from pandemic areas, then perform tests on these people," one senior official advising Vietnam's Emergency.

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Call for hotels to shelter domestic abuse victims

Two MPs and 33 women's rights organisations have written to major hotel chains in the UK asking them to offer beds to domestic abuse victims trapped during the lockdown.
In their letter, the group warned of the risk of an "epidemic of abuse" as victims are forced to stay indoors because of home-working, self-isolation and, in some cases, a reduction in job hours. They say domestic abuse rates have tripled in China since the lockdown began there.
"[Hotels] can make a difference to some of the most vulnerable women who otherwise have no-one to turn to for security, comfort and support," the letter reads.
Signatories include Labour MPs Jess Phillips and Carolyn Harris, and groups including Southall Black Sisters and the Jo Cox Foundation.

Supermarkets to get government list of vulnerable people

UK supermarkets will use a government database of 1.5 million vulnerable shoppers to help prioritise delivery slots.
Sainsbury’s and Waitrose say they will begin writing to people on the list next week.
There is concern that those most in danger from the virus are going into stores because of a lack of online shopping slots.
People in high-risk households have told the BBC they are struggling to get priority treatment online or in stores. Read more here.

'Five million truck drivers stranded' across India

With India in the grips of a national 21-day lockdown, only those performing essential services are being allowed to work.
But confusion over what counts as an essential service has led to nearly "five million truck drivers being stranded without food and access to sanitation across the country's highways", according to transport expert SP Singh.
Many have been forced to sleep in the back of their trucks as they haven't been able to get back home. Some are also stuck outside factories, unable to offload high-value cargo because of prohibitory orders from local authorities.
"This could quickly morph into a law and order problem with robberies if the government doesn’t intervene,” says Balmalkit Singh, a transport lobbyist. He urged the government to dispatch food and set up shelter camps for these people.
The situation has also disrupted deliveries of food and other perishables. But these interruptions are easing as states slowly allow more movement for essential goods.
However, the long-term costs of the lockdown are high. The pandemic is quickly morphing into a humanitarian crisis in India. Several thousand stranded migrant workers have been forced to walk hundreds of kilometres across state lines just to reach their homes.

India to release prisoners from overcrowded jails

India is planning to release prisoners to prevent the spread of infection in its overcrowded prisons.
The western state of Maharashtra has decided to release on parole 11,000 convicts who have been sentenced to less than seven years. And Delhi’s maximum security Tihar jail will also release about 3,000 prisoners.
They include convicts who will be released on parole, and under-trials on temporary bail.
Indian prisons are notoriously overcrowded, making them potential virus hotspots. According to one estimate, there are some 400,000 prisoners in more than 1,300 jails. The majority of them are awaiting investigation or trial.
Earlier in the week, the Supreme Court asked states to consider releasing all convicts who have been jailed up to seven years to decongest the prisons in a bid to help curb the virus.

Early action could save over 30m lives - Imperial College study

More than 30 million lives could be saved if countries across the globe implement strict measures in response to the spread of coronavirus, researchers from Imperial College London have said.
If nothing is done, the world could see 40 million deaths this year, the study suggests - but social distancing could reduce this number by around half.
If countries adopt further measures at an early stage - including testing, isolating cases and wider social distancing to prevent transmission to more people - 38.7 million lives could be saved.
But the study warns that developing countries are likely to suffer the worst effects of the outbreak.

Latest updates from around Europe

Germany has seen a rise of 5,780 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 42,288, according to the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases. The number of deaths has climbed by 55 to 253. Chancellor Angela Merkel has appealed for patience in fighting the outbreak, rejecting calls for a relaxation of restrictions that only came in in several states earlier this week.
In France, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe says the epidemic that started in the east is now in the Paris region. Hospitals could reach saturation point around the capital within 24 to 48 hours, according to the Hospital Federation of France. Some 1.2 million residents in the area have left in the past week according to data analysed by mobile phone company Orange. On Thursday evening, officials said France had seen 1,696 deaths, including 365 in the past 24 hours.
Crimes in the deserted cities of Italy have plummeted by 64% in March, compared to the same period in 2019, but computer-based crime is rising, the interior ministry warns. That chimes with a new report from EU police agency Europol, which says criminals are focusing on fake sanitary goods, phone scams and cybercrime.
Elsewhere:

• After six hours of talks last night, EU leaders agreed to give eurozone finance ministers two weeks to agree a stronger response to the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus. The BBC's Europe Editor Katya Adler assesses the EU's response here
  
• Russia has now recorded 1,000 confirmed cases and three deaths. It has ordered all cafes and restaurants to close from Saturday and next week has been designated a "non-working week"
  
• Switzerland has seen 194 deaths since the pandemic began with around 1,000 new cases in 24 hours, according to data collated from the country's cantonsIn Spain, some 9,000 rapid diagnostic tests imported from China have proved defective
  

Friday prayers to go ahead as normal in most of Pakistan

M Ilyas Khan
BBC News, Islamabad
The Pakistani government is still reluctant to annoy the religious lobby by ordering a blanket ban on congregational prayers in mosques - even though such congregations have been banned in several Islamic countries amid the coronavirus outbreak.
On Thursday, it indicated it may "restrict" mosque congregations, but stopped short of spelling out details.
However, the provincial government in Sindh, which has recorded the most cases in the country, has taken the lead by ordering that only up to five people - the prayer leader and mosque staff - could offer joint prayers in a mosque.
The restrictions came ahead of Friday congregational prayers which are usually attended by large crowds. They'll be in force until 5 April.
Hours later, the government of another province, Balochistan, ordered similar limits on joint prayers until 4 April.
The indecision of the federal government, led by Prime Minister Imran Khan, appears to stem from its reluctance to annoy influential professional clerics at a time of the year when they raise donations to run their activities.
The present Islamic month, Shaban, and the one to follow, Ramadan, are the time for the faithful to pay Zakat, or an annual Islamic tax. Much of this money finds its way into more than 35,000 religious seminaries run by these clerics across the country.
The mainstream Hanafi sect runs the bulk of these seminaries, and has been the most vocal in opposing restrictions on religious gatherings.

Firefighters to drive ambulances in virus outbreak

Firefighters in the UK are planning to drive ambulances, deliver medicines and transport bodies during the "humanitarian crisis" of the coronavirus outbreak.
Even though emergency services are already under pressure, "we can and will get through it together," Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
A new agreement between fire service organisations will allow firefighters to take on extra duties to support other services, driving emergency vehicles or delivering supplies to vulnerable people.
"Many fear the loss of life in this outbreak could be overwhelming - and firefighters, who often handle terrible situations and incidents, are ready to step in to assist with body retrieval," Mr Wrack said.
"Firefighters and control staff have always stepped in when the public has been in danger and this crisis is no different."
The deal, which lasts for two months but could be extended, comes as the Metropolitan Police calls for retired officers to rejoin during the crisis

Can the EU's leaders get a grip on the crisis?

After six hours of talks, EU leaders - by socially distant video conference - failed on Thursday to agree to share the debt they are all racking up fighting Covid-19, with finance ministers instead reporting back in two weeks' time.
The EU is famous for kicking difficult decisions down the road but in coronavirus terms, with spiralling infection and death rates, two weeks feels like an eternity.
Spain and Italy - ravaged by the effects of the virus on their populations and their limited public finances - were deeply disappointed.
Italy was already one of the EU's most Eurosceptic member states before Covid-19 hit. Italian Twitter was littered with expletives on Thursday - and those were just the posts from politicians.
President Emmanuel Macron of France is said to have told leaders the political reaction after the crisis could spell the end of the EU.
The thing is, the coronavirus simply highlights already existing, well-known difficulties in the EU.
Read the full analysis from Katya here.

House all rough sleepers by the weekend, English councils told

Every local authority in England has been told by the government to house all of its rough sleepers - as well as people in hostels and night shelters - by the weekend.
A letter from Dame Louise Casey, Boris Johnson's housing adviser, tells councils to redouble efforts to ensure everyone is "inside and safe by this weekend" due to the "public health emergency".
She says: “These are unusual times so I’m asking for an unusual effort. Many areas of the country have already been able to ’safe harbour’ their people which is incredible. What we need to do now though is work out how we can get ‘everyone in’.”
It is important to close down street encampments as they are "high-risk" for spreading coronavirus, Dame Louise says.
In a trial last weekend, rough sleepers were put up in about 300 hotel rooms in London.
Homeless charity Crisis says the move is a "landmark moment" but questions remain about what support local councils will receive to achieve this.
"The Government has committed to ending rough sleeping by 2025 - this proves it can be done in 2020 if we make it the priority it deserves to be," says chief executive Jon Sparkes.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has not yet commented.

President Trump's coronavirus claims - fact or fiction?

At his press conference on Thursday, Donald Trump said the US was doing "tremendous testing"
The BBC's Reality Check team has been fact-checking some of his recent claims, including that "the United States has done far more 'testing' than any other nation, by far".
The US has seen a significant rise in coronavirus testing - more than doubling the total in the last few days. According to the latest available data, the US has now tested 540,252 people- that’s almost one in every 600.
But this is still some way behind South Korea, which has tested the most people per capita - about one in every 140.

Deaths in Spain rise sharply

Health officials say the number of deaths in Spain has risen to 4,858, up 769 in the past 24 hours. The previous day saw 655 deaths. Overall Spain has seen an increase of 7,871 cases in the past day to 64,059. The number of people who have recovered is now 9,357.

NFL draft can serve 'a positive purpose'

The US National Football League (NFL) player draft for the 2020 season will go ahead as scheduled next month but players, fans and media will not be present because of the coronavirus pandemic.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the draft can serve "a very positive purpose for our clubs, our fans, and the country".
The annual event, which allows teams to recruit newly eligible players from the American collegiate system, was attended by 500,000 fans in Nashville last year.
This year's draft will be held from 23-25 April in a television studio, with players interviewed via video conference.
It was due to take place in Las Vegas. The NFL had already cancelled all public events.

Curfews extended in Middle East

Here's the latest from the region on how countries there are tackling the virus:

• Iraq has extended a nationwide curfew, due in force until Saturday, by a further two weeks. The air force is being used to drop public information flyers
  
• Lebanon has also extended its "lockdown" - under which people are only allowed out to buy food and medicine - by two weeks, and ordered citizens to stay indoors entirely overnight
  
• A day after imposing an inter-city travel ban, police in Iran will stop cars with non-local number plates, fine owners and confiscate vehicles in order to enforce the measure. The country has so far confirmed more than 2,200 deaths and reported another surge in infections over the past 24 hours
  
• Oman, Jordan and the UAE have suspended print editions of newspapers over fears that copies could carry the virus
  
• Israel's Mossad intelligence agency has obtained 400,000 "essential components" for testing for the virus, the prime minister's office says. It is unclear where the material - identified in Israeli press as chemical reagents - has come from. Mossad has already brought in 100,000 kits, but they proved to be unusable.
  

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11:15

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has coronavirus

Mr Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus, Downing Street says. His symptoms are mild and he will continue to lead the government response to the virus while he self-isolates, a spokesman says.

11:15

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has coronavirus

Mr Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus, Downing Street says. His symptoms are mild and he will continue to lead the government response to the virus while he self-isolates, a spokesman says.

Colleagues and opponents wish PM 'speedy recovery'

Westminster is reacting to the news that Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus.
Former Tory Cabinet minister Mel Stride says the PM has done the "right thing" to self-isolate and it is clear he "is very much still in charge" of the government and its coronavirus response.
Acting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has wished the PM a "full and speedy recovery" and said his thoughts were also with his fiancée Carrie Symonds, who is expecting their first child.
James Forsyth, the political editor of the Spectator, says while the PM will not be able to "go to work as usual", he will still be able to lead the government using technology - pointing out that Mr Johnson chaired a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday using the Zoom conferencing tool.
However, he says the PM has had close contact with other key figures in the government, including the chancellor and health secretary, in recent days and there are concerns about what will happen if the infection spreads more widely in Whitehall.

Analysis: 'Great interest' in who PM may have been in contact with

Laura Kuenssberg - BBC political editor
Obviously this is a significant moment.
Boris Johnson has been in close contact with the government’s chief scientist and all of the people in charge of trying to handle how the government’s various responses are going.
The prime minister is well enough to keep working, using technology, so for now he is not stepping back from the job he is doing in terms of running the government's response.
There is a standby in Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who would step up if Boris Johnson has to take time off work. For now, Mr Johnson is still in charge.
This thing has moved so quickly but it is some time since Nadine Dorries, the health minister, was confirmed to have the disease. At that point it felt like a shock in Westminster. Since then, Westminster - the borough, not just the political village - has been seen to be a hotspot of the disease. Various MPs and officials from Whitehall have been self-isolating.

Leading Labour politician has virus symptoms

Another leading British politician has said they have shown symptoms of the virus and is self-isolating.
Angela Rayner, Labour's education spokeswoman who is favourite to be the party's next deputy leader, says she felt unwell overnight and has "got gradually worse".
But until Thursday last week, the prime minister was appearing at a press conference on a podium, certainly much closer than two metres away from other people very critical to this effort: Chief Scientist Sir Patrick Vallance and Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty.
Since then, they taken steps to change that and press conference have been taking place online. However, at this stage we don't have a calendar of when Mr Johnson fell ill and when he was aware he was in a position to test positive. But there will be great interest in these dates.

PM to 'lead the national fightback' from home

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will continue to lead the nation from home after testing positive for Covid-19.
"I've developed mild symptoms of the coronavirus, that's a temperature and a persistent cough," Mr Johnson said in a video posted on his Twitter account.
"On the advice of the chief medical officer, I have taken a test and that has come out positive.
"I'm working from home and self-isolating. That's entirely the right thing to do.
"I can continue, thanks to the wizardry of technology, to communicate with my top team and lead the national fightback against the virus."

Boris Johnson is first world leader to announce infection

n a tweet earlier today, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that he had tested positive for coronavirus. Mr Johnson said he was experiencing "mild symptoms" and would be leading the country from home while self-isolating.
While he's the first major world leader to announce a positive test, the disease has already impacted the daily lives of several others.
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel is self-isolating after a doctor who gave her a vaccination tested positive. Canada's Justin Trudeau is also self-isolating with his wife Sophie after she tested positive following a trip to London.
Other leaders who have been tested but say their results have come back negative include the presidents of Brazil, the US and the Philippines. Concerns were raised after several Brazilian officials tested positive after returning from a trip with Jair Bolsonaro to meet Donald Trump. Both leaders have hit out at critics and refused to self-isolate, despite WHO recommendations for anyone with possible exposure to do so

Gove to take PM's place at daily briefing

Boris Johnson is continuing to work in No 10 after his diagnosis, although the BBC understands that his Downing Street flat has been "sealed off".
A No 10 spokesman said the PM's meals and work documents would be left outside his door.
It is understood his fiancee Carrie Symonds, who is pregnant, is self-isolating elsewhere, although No 10 has not given any details about where she is.
Other people working in Downing Street are also now self-isolating.
Mr Johnson will not be appearing at this afternoon's daily coronavirus briefing. It is understood that senior Cabinet minister Michael Gove will be taking his place.

Health Secretary Hancock also tests positive

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has tested positive for the coronavirus. He is self-isolating at home and his symptoms are said to be mild.

Johnson's diagnosis and other developments

It's been a dramatic few hours so let's have a recap of the main developments:

• UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus after displaying "mild" symptoms
  
• He is continuing to work in his Downing Street office although he will not be taking part in Friday's daily government briefing
  
• His fianceé Carrie Symonds, who is several months pregnant, is self-isolating elsewhere
  
• The UK's Health Secretary Matt Hancock has also contracted the virus and is in self-isolation
  
• In Spain, the death toll has risen sharply in the last 24 hours. There were 769 new fatalities, up from 655 the previous day, taking the total toll to 4,858
  
• Firefighters in the UK are to take on extra duties during the pandemic, including driving ambulances and delivering food and medicines
  

UK's chief medical officer self-isolating

The UK government's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty has said he is self-isolating after experiencing symptoms of coronavirus last night.
Prof Whitty has led the UK's medical response and appears in the government's public information films. Known symptoms of the virus include a persistent dry cough and a raised temperature.
It comes after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock both tested positive for the virus, which causes the Covid-19 disease.

Professor Chris Whitty tweeted:
After experiencing symptoms compatible with COVID-19 last night, in line with the guidance, I will be self-isolating at home for the next seven days.
I will be continuing to advise the Government on the medical response to Coronavirus, supported by my deputies.

27th March continued ... (Part 2)

Hungary imposes two-week lockdown

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has introduced a new nationwide lockdown for two weeks hoping to slow rates of infection.
In an interview with public broadcaster Kossuth Radio, Mr Orban said that, from 28 March, residents would only be allowed to leave their homes for work or to run essential errands.
Between 9:00 and midday local time, grocery shops and pharmacies will also be required to close their doors to any shoppers aged under 65.
Mr Orban said people would still be allowed to go outside, so long as they avoided travelling in groups.
From Monday, every hospital in the country will be designated a "commander", who will be responsible for ensuring it adheres to epidemiological regulations.
Hungary has reported 300 cases of coronavirus and 10 deaths. British diplomat Steven Dick died in the country on Tuesday.

Putin staff member has coronavirus

A member of Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration staff has tested positive for coronavirus, the Kremlin has confirmed.
The president's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, is quoted by Russian media as saying Mr Putin, 67, is working as normal.
Russia has reported its biggest one-day jump in cases - with 196 new diagnoses, taking the total number up to 1,036. Three people have died.

Is Spain approaching peak of its outbreak?

Spaniards have seen the daily number of deaths rise from 462 at the start of the week, to 769 in the past 24 hours. The latest figure is the highest in one day so far, and brings the total since the outbreak began to 4,858.
But top health official Fernando Simón is holding out hope that the numbers could soon start going down, saying the latest figures "indicate little by little the possible arrival at the peak". Around one in seven of the 64,059 Spanish cases is listed as recovered, and there's been a big rise in the past 24 hours.

Hong Kong to restrict restaurant tables to four people

The Hong Kong government wants to limit the number of people allowed to sit together at restaurant tables to four, the South China Morning Post says.
Starting Sunday, each table will be 1.5m apart. The measures are reportedly part of new tough restrictions after the city saw its biggest daily rise of 65 infections on Friday.
The newspaper says that bars and restaurants will only be allowed to operate at half their capacity for at least two weeks. The new social distancing measures could also extend to parks, playgrounds and outdoor sports centres.
Infections in Hong Kong have more than doubled in a week to a total of 518 cases.

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Birmingham Airport could become emergency mortuary

Birmingham Airport could be used as a temporary mortuary for up to 12,000 bodies in a worst-case coronavirus scenario after talks with several local councils.
The site - which would initially have space for 2,500 bodies, increasing if needed - includes a cargo hub, with hangars on the opposite side of the airstrip from the two passenger terminals.
Deputy leader of Sandwell Council Wasim Ali said: “In reality, we have to prepare for the worst.
“We really don’t want to have to use it, but if we do, then it’ll be available.”
A Birmingham Airport spokesperson said: “We have been in discussions with the authorities and we will of course cooperate to find a suitable location and help where we can to suport the fightback against this pandemic.”
The UK government is making £1.6bn available to councils to deal with pressures on existing services.

Eight more dead in Scotland

Eight more people in Scotland have died from coronavirus, taking the total to 33, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.
The total number of positive diagnoses in Scotland has risen by 165 - from 894 on Thursday to 1,059 today.
There are 72 patients with coronavirus symptoms in intensive care units.
Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Catherine Calderwood estimates that more than 65,000 people in Scotland have the virus.

Over a million masks sitting in US warehouse

A stockpile of 1.5 million N95 masks is sitting in a US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warehouse as hospitals across the US face critical shortfalls of personal safety equipment.
The masks are expired, but still effective against the coronavirus according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the Washington Post, DHS officials decided the masks should be given to the transportation security agents who monitor US airports.
Luxury fashion designers as well as average Americans stuck at home are stitching masks as fast as possible to provide to frontline medical workers, as states report the real possibility of running out of necessary hospital equipment.
One nurse in New York City told the BBC on Thursday of being given only one surgical mask to wear for the week, and how every floor of her hospital began to take on Covid-19 patients.

Fears of global condom shortage amid coronavirus

There are fears about the long-term implications of a global condom shortage after the world's largest manufacturer was forced to stop production due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Karex Berhad's three factories in Malaysia have been shut for 10 days already, meaning there are already 100 million fewer condoms.
The company, which produces one in five of the world's condoms, is now appealing to the Malaysian government for a partial exemption from a nationwide lockdown.
The country is the worst affected in South-East Asia, with 2,161 coronavirus infections and 26 deaths.
But without being able to reopen, Mr Goh said there would be a "global shortage" of condoms, which could potentially impact "a lot of humanitarian programmes... for months".
What's more, he added, demand "is still very strong", which is no bad thing "given that at this point in time people are probably not planning to have children".
"It’s not the time, with so much uncertainty.”
Karex supplies companies like Durex and organisations like the NHS and the UN Population Fund.

7,000 nurses and midwives sign to return to NHS

More than 7,000 former nurses and midwives have signed up to support health and social care services across the UK.
According to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, nurses and midwives who left the profession in the last three years can sign onto the Covid-19 temporary register.
The register verifies the former nurses and midwives and enables them to practise during the coronavirus outbreak.
Their details are shared with national health and care organisations across the UK who will then connect them with employers in need.

Djokovic buying respirators to help Serbia's fight

Novak Djokovic, ranked as the world's leading male tennis player, is donating 1m euros to help buy respirators and other medical equipment for his native Serbia.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion will provide the financial support - about £890,000 - from the foundation he runs with his wife Jelena.
They are using contacts in China and Germany to buy the equipment.
"We have spoken with Serbian authorities and health officials, as well as with many other people willing to help us to get the right information, to find out what are the most necessary things at the moment," he told Serb journalists in a video call.
Serbia recorded 81 confirmed cases on Thursday - its highest daily number so far - taking the total tally to 384. There have been four deaths.
Earlier this week, Roger Federer and his wife Mirka donated 1m Swiss francs (£857,000) for vulnerable families in Switzerland, while Rafael Nadal has teamed up with Spanish basketball star Pau Gasol to raise money.

India 'super spreader' quarantines 40,000 people

Authorities in India have quarantined around 40,000 residents following a coronavirus outbreak linked to one person in Punjab.
The 70-year-old man died from COVID-19.
He had ignored advice to self-quarantine after a trip to Italy and Germany, officials told the BBC’s Punjabi service.
Upon returning to India, he attended an event to celebrate the holy festival of Hola Mohalla. It attracts around 10,000 people every day.
A week after his death, 19 relatives tested positive for coronavirus.
Police have sealed 20 villages near the area where the man stayed to prevent the virus from spreading.
Read more here.

UK coronavirus deaths rise to 759

The number of coronavirus deaths in the UK has risen from 578 to 759, according to the Department of Health. This is the biggest rise in deaths that the country has seen so far.
14,579 have now tested positive for the disease, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Ex-footballer arrested for breaking curfew

Former Premier League footballer Nolberto Solano has been arrested in his native Peru for breaking a coronavirus curfew to attend a party.
Peru President Martin Vizcarra has banned people from leaving their houses in many cities from 20:00 until 05:00.
More than 18,000 people have been arrested for ignoring social distancing measures in the South American country.
Mr Solano, 45, who played more than 300 games for Newcastle United, said he was just chatting to friends at a neighbour's house and it was not a party. He was later released.

First fines from British police for illegal gatherings

Police have begun fining people breaching the rules set out by the government to try to slow down the spread of the virus between households.
The new regulations, which were brought in yesterday, are designed to stop people leaving their homes unless they have to and to prevent gatherings of three or more individuals.
Police can impose a £60 penalty, reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days, if someone fails to comply, with the amount doubling for each further offence.
Deputy Chief Constable Sara Glen, who speaks on enforcement issues for the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said some people had already been fined.
“If individuals are in a group gathering and they don’t take the request and the advice and the engagement from the officers to go home and the only way we can secure compliance is to give them a fixed penalty ticket that’s what they would have been given for,” she said. Ms Glen, who’s based at Hampshire Police, declined to provide precise figures on the number of fines imposed but said each constabulary would collect the data.
“We want to know whether we’re winning the kind-of ‘negotiation’ with the community to keep them in line with this regulation or whether or not we have a lot of people that are breaching it,” she added.Police said they had a range of other sanctions if people failed to provide their details for fines to be administered including arrest and prosecution.

Virtual Grand National to 'cheer up the nation'

Don't throw away that Grand National sweepstake kit... because a virtual race will be held in place of one of the UK's biggest sporting occasions.
The National, held at Aintree and first run in 1839, was cancelled earlier this month because of the coronavirus outbreak.
In its place, 40 of the runners will take part in the virtual version, which uses CGI technology and special algorithms.
It will be broadcast by ITV at 17:00 BST on Saturday 4 April - the day the National was planned to run.
The special broadcast will also pit Aintree legends Red Rum and Tiger Roll - who this year was bidding for an unprecedented third consecutive win in the famous steeplechase - against each other in a 40-horse Race of Champions.
"We want to cheer the nation up and ask the computer if history could have been made," says executive producer Rob McLoughlin.

UK death toll hits new record

A total of 759 people have now died of the coronavirus in the UK, while 14,579 have tested positive.
The death toll jumped by 181 on Friday - a rise of 31% - making it the biggest rise in deaths that the country has seen so far, surpassing yesterday’s record of 115.
In England, patients were aged between 29 and 98 years old.
All but four patients, aged between 82 and 91 years old, had underlying health conditions, health officials said.
The UK has the seventh highest number of recorded deaths in the world after Italy, Spain, China, Iran, France and the US

Revealed: How the UK military will help build NHS hospitals

The British Armed Forces will turn three major conference venues into temporary NHS hospitals, according to an internal document seen by the BBC. It shows:

• Phase 1 is the Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre in London’s Docklands. The document states it will have capacity of between 4,000 and 5,000 beds and will open in the last week of March
  
• Phase 2 is a temporary hospital for England and Wales at the NEC centre in Birmingham. The document says it will have capacity for 5,000 beds and will open in mid-April
  
• Phase 3 is the Convention Complex - formally GMEX - in Manchester. The document states it will have 1,000 beds and open in mid-April
  

Scotland is not mentioned in the document, but the Army there has already confirmed to the BBC that the Royal Engineers have visited the SECC in Glasgow as a possible site for a temporary hospital.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said it was "working hard to identify where it can most effectively assist other government departments and civil authorities".
"Through the Covid Support Force, the Armed Forces have over 20,000 personnel including specialist planners, medics and logisticians ready to assist with the response to the outbreak."

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Pope to give online Urbi et Orbi blessing

Pope Francis is to deliver a solemn blessing normally reserved for Easter and Christmas later on Friday.
"We want to respond to the virus pandemic with the universality of prayer," a message posted on the Pope's official Twitter account said.
The hour-long service of prayer begins at 17:00 GMT and will take place on the steps of St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, culminating in the Urbi et Orbi - meaning 'to the city and the world' - blessing.
While the blessing is usually delivered to a packed square, believers are instead being invited to "participate spiritually" with the event, which will be streamed live on the Vatican News website, as well as official Facebook and YouTube accounts.
Italy has reported the greatest number of deaths from the coronavirus of any country in the world, with 8,215 confirmed so far.

Biggest rise in Italy daily death toll so far

Italy has confirmed 969 more deaths from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, taking the country’s total to 9,134.
There are 4,401 new infections, making a total of 66,414 current cases.
This is believed to be the sharpest rise in fatalities that any country has seen so far throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Messages of hope on the Matterhorn

Every evening this week, Switzerland’s most famous mountain, the Matterhorn, has been beaming out messages. "Stay at Home" one evening. "Hope" the next.
As cases of the coronavirus pass 12,000 here, and the number of deaths reaches 200, that last message is needed.
Not just in Zermatt, where the ski slopes are empty, The whole country needs cheering up.
It’s four long weeks since the ban on public gatherings, three weeks since the elderly were advised to stay at home. It's two weeks since the schools were closed and 11 days since the bars, cafes, restaurants and all non-food shops were closed, and everyone who could was told to work from home.
The army has been mobilised, the first time since the Second World War, to help hard-pressed hospitals.
So the lockdown continues; one day blurs into another, the nation famous for its punctuality is beginning to forget what time it is.
But Easter is a big date in the Swiss calendar. It’s when many Swiss head down to the Ticino, landlocked Switzerland’s riviera.
Ticino was first canton to be hit by the coronavirus and is now the worst-affected.

London Gatwick Airport to close north terminal

London Gatwick airport has announced it is closing its north terminal and limiting runway operation times from 1 April.
The runway will only be used for scheduled flights between 14:00 and 22:00 GMT.
The airport made the announcement  on Friday and said the airport terminal would be closed for a month.
It said a decision to reopen the terminal would be taken when airline traffic increases and the government's social distancing policy is relaxed.
A statement from the airport said the decision was made to "protect the health and safety of passengers and staff, and to shield the business following a dramatic fall in airline traffic".
Stewart Wingate, chief executive of Gatwick Airport, said staff would be provided with the opportunity to help people in the local area.
Gatwick is the UK's second largest airport and serves more than 46 million passengers a year.

Gove: UK infections doubling every 3 to 4 days

Mr Gove says that the best analysis shows the rate of infection in the UK has been doubling every three to four days.
"These figures are a powerful reminder of the need for all of us to act," he says. "Strict social distancing measures have been put in place to restrict the spread of Covid-19."

33,000 new UK hospital beds for coronavirus patients

The head of the NHS in England, Simon Stevens, tells the briefing there are currently 6,200 patients with coronavirus in hospital.
He says the NHS is "pulling out all the stops" to ensure they and those who will be hospitalised in future get the treatment they deserve.
An extra 33,000 beds are being created for coronavirus patients as part of an "extraordinary effort" to reconfigure the health service, he adds.
He confirms that there will be two new major Nightingale hospitals built on the sites of Birmingham's NEC and the Manchester conference centre.

27th March - continued... (Part 3)

President Trump thinking about militarizing Canada border

Briefly away from the UK government news conference, Canada's prime minister is urging US President Donald Trump not to militarize the border.
“Canada and the Americans share the longest unmilitarized border in the world, and it remains in our interest to continue it that way," Justin Trudeau said Friday during his daily press briefing.
He is remaining in self-isolation on the advice of doctors, since his wife was diagnosed with coronavirus. He would not say when he would end self-isolation, noting that all Canadians are being encouraged to work from home.
Media reports surfaced late Thursday evening that the US government was thinking of sending troops to its northern border.
In his Thursday briefing, Mr Trump said seemed unsure if there were troops on the Canada border already, or if they were coming.
The US president has said the US will send the military to guard the Mexico border.
“I guess it's equal justice to a certain extent,” he said. “We have a lot of things coming in from Canada, we have trade, some illegal trade, that we don't like.”

NHS chief: Private deal helps cancer patients

Asked about the decision by some NHS trusts to pause cancer treatment, Simon Stevens tells the No10 briefing that a deal with private hospitals means that there is the option to treat patients - such as those receiving cancer care - away from busy NHS facilities that are handling coronavirus cases.

Small glimmer of hope in Italy coronavirus statistics

A little earlier we brought you the news that Italy had recorded its biggest rise in its daily death toll so far - with more than 900 new fatalities in the past 24 hours.
There is a small glimmer of hope among the shocking statistics, however - the number of new infections (4,401) was lower than the figure recorded on Thursday (4,492).
The Civil Protection Agency also reported that 10,950 people had fully recovered on Friday, compared to 10,361 the day before.
A total of 9,134 people have died in Italy from the coronavirus - highest death toll in the world.

US House passes $2 trillion (£1.7tr) bailout bill

The US House of Representatives has passed the largest ever fiscal stimulus bill in history to combat the economic effects of the coronavirus.
The bill, allowing for $2 trillion (£1.7tr) in funding, has already been approved by the Senate and now goes to President Trump to sign into law.
One of its provisions is to send $1,200 cheques to most adult Americans.

Recap of the daily UK government briefing

Let's summarise what we heard in today's UK government briefing.
Cabinet Minister Michael Gove alongside NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens and deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries confirmed:

• PM Boris Johnson is still leading the UK's efforts to tackle the virus despite testing positive
  
• UK infections are now doubling roughly every three to four days
  
• An alliance between government, research institutes and universities will provide more coronavirus tests for frontline workers - beginning this weekend
  
• 33,000 hospital beds have now been freed up - or created in field hospitals - to treat patients
  
• cancer patients will be able to continue their treatment at private hospitals
  

Mr Gove also suggested that "members of the central effort to defeat the virus" will receive testing as appropriate, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock were tested, despite only having mild symptoms.

End of the day in Asia

• South Korean authorities have been pleading with the public to stay indoors after 91 new cases were recorded, bring the country's total to 9,332. Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told reporters he understood that as the spring came it was hard to not go outside, but suggested it was better to "work harder to end the current pain then to suffer it for a long time"
  
• Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced he is forming a youth brigade called Corona Relief Tigers, who will distribute food to people confined to their homes, according to local newspaper Dawn
  
• Residents in Japan's capital Tokyo have been asked to stay at home for the weekend, leading to long queues in the supermarkets as people stocked up. The city's governor Yuriko Koike has warned Tokyo is on the verge of an explosion in cases
  
• Millions of factory workers in Bangladesh are at risk of going hungry after fashion retailers in Europe and the US cancelled their orders, the head of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said. Rubana Huq called on companies to work with them during the coronavirus outbreak.
  

What measures are countries taking to stop the virus?

Countries around the world are imposing further severe restrictions on their populations in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.

• China, where the Covid-19 outbreak started, has banned all foreign visitors, concerned that nearly all its new cases of the virus have come from abroad.
  
• India has suspended all visas for foreigners until mid-April and Japan has banned entry to certain categories of Chinese nationals and non-nationals who have been in Iran, South Korea or Italy in the past two weeks.
  
• Australia and New Zealand have banned entry to all foreigners, with Australia telling all citizens and residents who return to the country they must go into quarantine for two weeks.
  

The EU sealed its external borders on 18 March to anyone from outside the bloc for at least 30 days

UK-EU Brexit trade talks to go ahead

Talks between the UK and the EU on a post-Brexit trade deal will go ahead as planned next week, despite the chief negotiator on each side being diagnosed with coronavirus.
The UK's negotiator David Frost and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier are in self-isolation after positive tests for the virus.
UK Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove will meet EU officials via video link in the first meeting on Monday.
Despite much of Europe being in lockdown because of the pandemic, Downing Street insists there will be "no change" to its timetable for getting a trade deal done.
Under the terms of its withdrawal agreement, the UK has until the end of the year - during which it will continue to follow most Brussels rules - to reach a deal. The UK has ruled out any deadline extension.

Canadians charged over Covid-19

An 18-year-old Canadian McDonald's employee has been arrested for allegedly lying about having Covid-19 to get out of work.
Police in Hamilton, Ontario, charged the woman with fraud after she allegedly faked a doctor's note saying she had coronavirus.
Investigators say that after she gave the note to her supervisor on 19 March, the restaurant had to close down for a few days to be professionally sanitised.
Her co-workers also had to self-isolate.
But she wasn't the only person accused of using coronavirus to defraud people. On Wednesday Toronto police arrested a man for trying to bring 25 fake coronavirus test kits into the US.
They allege he had already shipped several parcels of fake test kits across the border.
Both suspects are expected to appear in court in May.

What's the latest from Latin America?

• There are now more than 10,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a tally based on data by Johns Hopkins University
  
• Brazil is the region’s worst-affected country, with 2,915 confirmed cases and 77 deaths as of Thursday, according to the country’s health ministry. States and cities across the country have imposed strict measures to limit people’s movements in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus. But there has been a call for demonstrations on Saturday in favour of the loosening of the restrictions in Brazil. It's worth noting that people are being urged to join a motorcade and not a march to avoid being close to others
  
• The governments in Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador and Peru have announced plans to try to limit the impact of the crisis on their economies
  
• Venezuela reported its first death on Thursday - a 47-year-old man with pre-existing lung disease, according to the government. There are fears the country’s health system, already in a precarious state amid years of economic and political turmoil, could collapse if the number of cases rises
  

US nurse makes emotional plea for protection

Sonja Reinert, a nurse in a maternity ward at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, made an emotional plea on her Facebook page, calling for people to look around for any masks they may have at home.
She also said that people had been stealing hand sanitizers from the hospital and staff were no longer able to leave them around patients' rooms.
"We need them. We don't have a lot. If you have face masks, any kind of face mask is better than nothing."
The hospital is holding a donation drive to collect protective gear for medical workers.
At least 56 people have died from coronavirus in Georgia.

18:45

Trump and Johnson in phone call after UK PM tests positive

US President Donald Trump has spoken to Boris Johnson on the phone after the UK prime minister tested positive for coronavirus overnight.
The White House said Mr Trump thanked the PM for his close friendship and wished him a speedy recovery.
Downing Street said the pair "agreed to work together closely, along with the G7, the G20, and other international partners, to defeat the coronavirus pandemic".

Latest developments from Africa

South African officers use force to ensure people comply with social-distancing measures

• South Africa started a three-week lockdown with the army and police officers patrolling the streets. Videos circulating on social media show officers at times using force to get people to toe the line
  
• Zimbabwe is allowing people to use US dollars again, reversing last year's ban on foreign currencies - a move aimed at supporting the already struggling economy. The country is to begin a lockdown on Monday
  

• The president of Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, has recalled disease control experts from overseas and announced new restrictions, including on shipping, and extra funding for Lagos state, which has registered 44 of Nigeria's 65 cases of coronavirus
  
• A couple in Tanzania have been arrested for spreading false information - the pair were allegedly heard on a bus saying that coronavirus was a hoax.
  
• Kinshasa - the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo - will start a three-week lockdown on Saturday. Residents will have to stay at home for four days and then be allowed to stock up on food on the following two days.
  

And the BBC has launched a Africa coronavirus live tracker, which shows that there are so far 3,450 confirmed cases on the continent.

Four die on stranded cruise ship

Four elderly passengers have died of coronavirus on a cruise ship docked off the coast of Panama.
The MS Zaandam has been denied entry to several South American ports.
In a statement, cruise operator Holland America confirmed four people had passed away.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and we are doing everything we can to support them during this difficult time," the company said.
A total of 53 guests (4%) and 85 crew (14%) have reported to the ship's medical centre with flu-like symptoms, the company said.
There are 1,243 guests and 586 crew on board.
Rose and Rich Harper, from Portland, Dorset, told the BBC the had been confined for several days.
"On Wednesday it was our first day out. We were allowed out of the cabin on to the deck for just 30 minutes.
"Everything is like Groundhog Day at the moment.
Read more from aboard the ship here.

Thousands of Ukrainians queue at Polish border

Ukraine is to shut its borders from midnight on Friday


Thousands of home-bound Ukrainians have been queuing for hours at Polish border crossings before they are shut to pedestrians due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Poland’s state news agency, quoting the Polish Border Guard, said more than 3,000 Ukrainian citizens, who do not have their own transport, were waiting at the crossing in Korczowa, in south-east Poland, on Friday afternoon.
On Thursday, 4,000 Ukrainians left Poland, according to the Polish Border Guard.
Many work in Poland in the service industry, which has been largely closed down because of the Covid-19 outbreak.
But it appears Ukraine’s decision to close its borders from midnight on Friday has contributed to the exodus.

• EU entry ban hits travellers as lockdown widens
  

Poland closed its own borders to foreign nationals on 15 March and returning Polish citizens have subsequently had to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days.

Only three border crossings between Poland and Ukraine remain open

UK cyclists warned to follow guidelines or 'lose privilege'

Cyclists in the UK have been warned not to continue riding in groups this weekend - or face having the right to get on their bikes taken away from them.
Pictures showed people across parts of the UK, including many cyclists, visiting parks and open spaces in large numbers last weekend.
"People on bikes were not the only culprits in last weekend's mass dash to the outdoors but, despite strong guidance from ourselves and others, too many chose to ignore the prime minister's instructions on social distancing, continuing to ride in groups and meet in cafes for a mid-ride chat," says British Cycling chief executive Julie Harrington.
"This isn't just irresponsible, it is putting people's lives at risk.
"A repeat of that this weekend risks further Government measures to take away the privilege of riding a bike for all of us and now more than ever, it is not one we can afford to lose."

As the world watches, Italy's progress is slow and uneven

Every day is a struggle for Italians to take in the scale of this tragedy. It’s like the country is losing the population of a village day after day.
There have been 541 deaths just in the region of Lombardy in the past 24 hours. It’s staggering.
Although it is hard to see light at the end of the tunnel, there are grounds for it: the new infection rate is declining and the curve is flattening.
But more than two weeks into the nationwide lockdown, progress is slow and uneven. And the awful news keeps coming: 46 doctors have now died since the outbreak began. What is clear is that the containment measures will have to be extended – possibly for months, says the national health council.
That will cause anxiety not just here, where the lockdown is crushing the Italian economy, but around the world, where Italy’s restrictions are a model for many other countries.
Italy is a week or two ahead of most of Europe – both in the progression of the virus and in the lockdown. So what happens here will be closely watched elsewhere.

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What's the latest in Europe?

There are now more than 300,000 cases of coronavirus in Europe, according to Agence France Presse news agency.
Italy recorded the highest daily coronavirus death toll with 969 fatalities. The country’s President Sergio Mattarella urged Europe to adopt new measures to confront the virus.
“I hope everyone fully understands the seriousness of the threat faced by Europe before it is too late,” he said in a televised address to the nation.
France recorded 299 coronavirus related deaths in a day taking its total to 1,995. The government has extended the country’s lockdown which is now scheduled to end on 15 April at the earliest.
On Friday evening, the Eiffel Tower was lit up to thank medical workers.
Spain has recorded more coronavirus deaths than any other country except Italy. The death toll increased overnight by 769 to 4,858. Earlier on Friday, the country’s government approved measures to prevent employers from using the coronavirus outbreak as an excuse to fire staff.
Belgium has extended its lockdown until the end of the Easter holiday break. The country has lost 289 people from Covid-19.
And everyone in the Republic of Ireland has been told to stay in their homes for the next two weeks.
From midnight until Easter Sunday people will only be allowed to leave their homes for essential jobs which cannot be done from home, food shopping, social care for family, for farming purposes or for exercise less than 2km (1.2 miles) from their home.
All public gatherings are banned and those over the age of 70 must "cocoon" in their homes.

Tunisians self-isolate in factory to make masks

Employees at a Tunisian factory are churning out 50,000 face masks a day and other protective medical gear after opting to go into lockdown at work.
The 150 staff have isolated themselves at the Consomed factory for a month.
There are separate dormitories for 110 women and 40 men - and enough stocks to last a month.
Employee Khawla Rebhi said she greatly missed her family, but her colleagues' good cheer provided some compensation.
"My husband and 16-year-old daughter supported and encouraged me to do this," Ms Rebhi, who is in charge of the production line, told the BBC.
The North African nation, which went into lockdown on Sunday, has 227 confirmed cases of coronavirus and six patients have died in the last week.

US coronavirus cases hit 100,000, figures show

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases has surpassed 100,000 in the US, according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University.
The US has more confirmed cases of coronavirus than any other country in the world.

Turkey halts international flights

Turkey will halt all international flights and impose a travel ban on cities to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, its president has said.
This removes a major global hub – Istanbul airport – from international travel.
Other measures include restrictions on inter-city travel, which will require permission from a local governor.
Picnic spots, forests and archaeological sites will be closed on weekends, and no group gatherings will be allowed on weekdays.
The private sector will move – like the public sector – to a system of flexible working with minimum staff.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the stringent new measures in a special address to the nation on Friday.
He said they were necessary because the country had "entered a new period where we need to make more sacrifices".
The death toll from Covid-19 in Turkey has increased by 17 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 92.

Pakistan orders release of 1,200 prisoners

Pakistani courts have ordered the release of more than 1,200 prisoners as they seek to relieve pressure on overcrowded jails during the coronavirus outbreak.
The Islamabad High Court has ordered officials to screen and release 408 inmates, who are currently awaiting trial for less severe offences.
They are all currently housed in Rawalpindi’s Adyala Jail, which has an authorised occupancy of 2,174 individuals but is currently housing 5,001.
Sindh High Court has also ordered the release of 829 on-trial prisoners held in various jails of the province, and set up a committee to make sure no dangerous criminals get released in the process.
Neighbouring India earlier announced [url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-52058788?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=5e7dc36414627d0657f82584%26India to release prisoners from overcrowded]it was planning to release 14,000 prisoners[/url]

President Trump orders GM under Korean War-era act

As we mentioned earlier (19.25 entry) US President Donald Trump attacked General Motors in a tweet for not producing new ventilators.
He has now ordered the car giant to make ventilators for coronavirus patients invoking the Korean War-era Defence Production Act.
The act allows a president to force companies to make products for national defence.
Donald Trump said that "GM was wasting time" and action was needed to save American lives.
He had previously said the order was not necessary because companies were voluntarily converting their operations.
"The virus is too urgent to allow the give-and-take of the contracting process to continue to run its normal course," he said.
Over 100,000 Americans have now been confirmed to have Covid-19.

Trump: Johnson asked for ventilators

US President Donald Trump says Boris Johnson asked for his help to secure ventilators during a phone call between the two leaders.
Speaking at the White House as he signed the $2tn coronavirus stimulus package into law, Mr Trump said he spoke with the UK PM on Friday to wish him a speedy recovery after he was diagnosed with coronavirus.
"Before he even said hello he said, 'we need ventilators,'" Trump said of the call. "I said, 'wow that’s a big statement.' Hopefully he’s going to be in good shape."
No 10 has yet to respond to Mr Trump's comments.

A grim new milestone for the US

By rising above 100,000 confirmed cases (see our post from 21:53), the US outbreak has reached a grim new milestone in the global pandemic.
Earlier this week, confirmed American cases jumped above that of China, where the outbreak began in December last year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said the US had the potential to become the new epicentre of the coronavirus crisis, and that appears to have been realised.
In recent days, cases have increased exponentially in the US (as the chart by Johns Hopkins University demonstrates below).
In just short of two weeks, the university's tracker shows that cases have surged from the low thousands (4,600 on 16 March) to a six figure number.
Most of those cases are in the states of Washington, California and New York.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump said the rise in cases was "a tribute to the amount of testing that we're doing".
You can read our explainer on the accuracy of President Trump's claims about testing.

Summary for 28th March

   -  The city where the coronavirus pandemic began has partially re-opened after two months of isolation
   -  People are being allowed to enter but not leave Wuhan, in China
   -  Italy's death toll rose by more than 900 on Friday - the sharpest hike in fatalities of any country
   -  President Trump has signed into law a $2tn stimulus bill to kick-start the coronavirus-hit economy
   -  Britain's PM Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus, as has Health Secretary Matt Hancock

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8:10

How does the UK's epidemic compare to other countries?

Good morning to all of you joining us from around the world and across the UK, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson continues his period of self-isolation following Friday's announcement that he had tested positive for the virus.
Mr Johnson has "mild symptoms" and is one of 14,543 confirmed cases in the country, along with England's health secretary, Matt Hancock.
The number of people who have died with the virus in the UK rose by 181 to 759 on Friday - that's the biggest day-on-day rise in deaths since the outbreak began.
Deaths and confirmed cases in the UK have been doubling every three days, so how does that compare with other countries? You can read some analysis here

Chinese city at centre of outbreak eases restrictions

Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged last year, has partly reopened after more than two months in isolation.
People are now allowed to enter Wuhan, but not leave.
The city in Hubei province was placed under lockdown back in January, with travel blocked and drastic restrictions on daily life.
State media showed images of the first officially sanctioned passenger train arriving in the city just after midnight.
Most of Wuhan's subway network has also restarted, while some shopping centres will open their doors next week.
Officials in the city of 11 million people first confirmed they were dealing with cases of a mysterious pneumonia-like illness in December.
Some 3,299 deaths have been confirmed in Hubei province, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University.

Testing rolled out for frontline health service staff in England

This weekend staff working on the frontline in the National Health Service in England will begin being tested to see if they have coronavirus.
The UK government has been facing criticism over a lack of testing for health workers. Until now only seriously ill patients in hospital with flu-like symptoms were being routinely tested for Covid-19.
The move means workers with symptoms, or those who live with people who have symptoms, will be checked - starting with critical care doctors and nurses.
In Wales, frontline NHS staff are already being screened for the virus.

People in UK asked to exercise locally

Various countries have different restrictions on exercise. Ireland has just imposed a limit of 2km (1.2 miles) from home while in France it is 1km. Exercise is one of the few reasons that people in the UK are allowed to leave their homes during the coronavirus pandemic.
They are allowed to take "one form of exercise a day" - the official guidelines list running, walking and cycling as examples.
But there was confusion over whether people could drive somewhere to go walking, running, or cycling.
Well, the government has now clarified that people should use open spaces near to home, where possible - although the new advice does not explicitly define what counts as "local", and whether or not people can use cars.

Tokyo reports record daily increase in cases

Tokyo has reported more than 50 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours - a record daily increase for the Japanese capital.
The figures were reported by national broadcaster NHK, which said there are now more than 300 cases in the capital.
The increase came as Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged citizens of the city and surrounding areas to stay indoors.
Japan has reported almost 1,500 coronavirus cases and 49 deaths, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University.
Tokyo was due to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games this year, but they have been postponed until 2021 because of the outbreak.

Russians are not in lockdown, they're just not working

The Kremlin's spokesman has insisted that Russia has "de facto no epidemic" and yet President Vladimir Putin has ordered a "non-working week" starting on Saturday. Latest reports suggest a rise of 228 new cases in the past 24 hours, so that means 1,264 reported cases and at least three deaths. What exactly does a "non-working week" mean? Read Sarah Rainsford's story here.

'Vaccine development' faster than ever

A question on many people's minds is how long until a vaccine for coronavirus can be developed.
Prof Sarah Gilbert, who is leading a team developing a UK vaccine at the University of Oxford, says they are looking at ways to speed up the process, which usually takes 12-18 months.
She has told the BBC they are trying to "go much faster than that" by overlapping phases of the trials, but adds: "It’s very important to know that the vaccine is both safe and that it really does work before we start planning to roll it out on a wider scale.”
"Unfortunately vaccine development does take some time. With this pandemic, vaccine development is going faster than it ever has before but we can’t miss steps out," she said.
The university is also looking at expanding its ability “to make large quantities of the vaccine” when it becomes available.

9:21

Further restrictions in Ireland

People in the Republic of Ireland are this morning waking up to stricter restrictions to their movements - after new rules came in at midnight.
For a two-week period until Easter Sunday, everyone must stay at home unless their work is essential or they go out to buy food.
People have been told they should only travel further than 2km (1.2 miles) from their home when it is absolutely necessary.
Health Minister Simon Harris told national broadcaster RTE that he hoped the country would be in a position in two weeks to tweak or remove some of the highly restrictive measures.
However, he added: "Will we be in a position on 12 April where life in Ireland can return to normal? Absolutely not."

Where are we at 09:45 GMT?

If you're just joining us, here a look at some of the biggest recent developments from around the world:

• Donald Trump signed the largest-ever US financial stimulus package, worth $2tn (£1.7tn). He also ordered General Motors to make ventilators for coronavirus patients. The US has seen some 104,000 cases and almost 1,700 fatalities.
  
• The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany rose to 48,582 - an increase of more than 6,000 in 24 hours, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases; Johns Hopkins University in the US - which has been maintaining a database of coronavirus cases since the outbreak - shows there are 53,340 cases in the country
  
• Meanwhile, Germany's air force is flying another six patients from Bergamo in Italy for treatment in German hospitals
  
• And France's military has evacuated two patients out of the eastern city of Metz via helicopter for treatment in Germany. Eastern France has been the country's worst-hit area and many hospitals there are over capacity
  
• Ireland introduced new restrictions, with everyone ordered to stay at home - except when going out for essential work or to buy food
  
• Russia is beginning what President Vladimir Putin called a "non-working week"
  
• A woman in her 80s has become the first person in Jordan to die from coronavirus, according to state media
  
• Mexico's president urged people to stay inside their homes to prevent an "overwhelming" spread of coronavirus, in what was dubbed his strongest stance so far against the pandemic
  
• Thailand has reported another death and 109 new cases. This brings the total there to 1,245 infections and six deaths, officials say
  

South Korea offers hope

South Korea says that for the first time it now has more people who have recovered from the virus than are still infected.
It reported 146 new cases on Saturday, taking the total to 9,478 - of whom 4,811 have been released from hospital.
South Korea has been praised for its response to the epidemic, which has involved tracing the infection, testing large numbers of people and isolating patients quickly.
Read more about what it has been doing here.

UK supermarkets offer help to health workers

Supermarkets Aldi and Lidl are the latest businesses to offer extra help to NHS staff.
Lidl says it is donating thousands of bags of fresh fruit and vegetables to hospital sites across the country.
In a statement, it said it was a "small gesture to say thank you" and help NHS staff "who may not be able to get into store regularly for basic groceries".
Meanwhile, Aldi says health workers, along with police officers and firefighters, will take priority in queues at its stores if they show a valid ID. Other UK supermarkets have also taken steps to prioritise UK health workers.

UK wary of international market for ventilators

A frenetic international market in ventilators and medical supplies has gathered pace in recent weeks as governments scramble to purchase equipment.
The equipment is usually made in China and is then purchased by middlemen who offer it on.
The market price for one particular type of ventilator increased in a week from $27,000 (£21,700) to $96,000 (£77,100) - a sign of just how intense the demand is.
But the UK has so far tried to avoid purchasing from some of the intermediaries offering equipment.
UK government sources say they are procuring ventilators from abroad. They deny that red tape is holding this up and say they are trying to procure directly from suppliers - rather than through middlemen.

Japan promises unprecedented economic stimulus

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has just promised to introduce the country's "boldest-ever" financial stimulus package in a bid to address the economic impact of coronavirus.
As we mentioned earlier, Japan has reported almost 1,500 coronavirus cases and 49 deaths, according to data collated by Johns Hopkins University.
Mr Abe said the unprecedented package would include cash payouts to households and small firms that have been hit by the fallout from the pandemic.
The government is now beginning work on a "supplementary budget" to fund the package.

Spain death toll tops 5,000

The death toll from coronavirus in Spain has now exceeded 5,000, after 832 more fatalities were reported there in the past 24 hours.
The death toll now stands at 5,690, while a total of 72,248 people have been infected.
Spain is currently the second-worst-hit country after Italy, in terms of fatalities.
A state of emergency is in place until at least 12 April, with most shops and businesses closed and people's movements severely restricted.
The army has been deployed to deep-clean hospitals and other facilities. Hospitals have been under intense pressure and, like in many other countries, health workers have complained of inadequate protective equipment.

A 101-year-old survivor in Italy

The situation remains bleak in Italy, but it's not all bad news. In the north-eastern city of Rimini a man aged 101, identified publicly as only "Mr P", was released from hospital on Thursday after being admitted last week and testing positive for Covid-19.
Gloria Lisi, Rimini's deputy mayor, said that his "truly extraordinary" recovery gave "hope for the future".
"Mr. P made it," she added. "The family brought him home, to teach us that even at 101 years the future is not written."

Demand for German ventilators outstrips supplies

A manufacturing firm in northern Germany is now having to make life and death decisions. Governments from all over the globe are ordering ventilators, says Stefan Dräger, the head of the world’s biggest producer of respirators that can keep intensive care patients alive.
His company has doubled production and hopes to double again this year. But demand is 10 times what his firm can produce. And he has to decide who gets the life-saving machines.
The US alone has ordered 100,000 ventilators - which is the total number manufactured every year globally. And the German government has placed an order for 10,000 additional machines for German hospitals.
But components come from all over the world and Mr Dräger warns that export bans could limit supplies and hamper production.

Recovery rate increases in Spain

As we mentioned earlier, the death toll in Spain has surpassed 5,600, an increase of just over 17% in 24 hours.
The number of those infected also rose to 72,248 from 64,059 on Friday, an increase of 12.8%.
But on a positive note, the number of people recovering from coronavirus is also increasing. A further 2,928 people have recovered from the virus, making a total of 12,285, an increase of 31%.

What are some of the latest restrictions?

More and more countries around the world are introducing measures to try to stop the spread of coronavirus, ranging from relatively minor restrictions to country-wide lockdowns.
Here's a look at some of the latest measures that have come into force:

• Ireland has entered a two-week period in which everyone must stay at home unless leaving for essential work, to get food or medicine, or for brief exercise. Police will ensure that people adhere to the new measures, which mirror restrictions introduced in the UK
  
• Russia has begun a "non-working week with pay". Bars, restaurants and non-essential shops have been closed but there has been some confusion over whether people are actually obliged to stay at home. There was a rush to book holidays after the measure was announced and officials had to clarify that it was "not a week of extra leave"
  
• People over the age of 65 and those from high-risk groups are now required to stay at home in Malta. The measure applies to pregnant women and anyone with a chronic illness. They may leave their houses to attend medical appointments, buy food and attend to "absolutely essential or urgent" needs
  
• Under new restrictions in Hungary people are allowed to go to work, do basic errands and exercise in the open, but not gather in large groups. The measures will last for at least two weeks
  
• Finland has restricted movement into and out of most populous province of Uusimaa, which includes the capital Helsinki. The province has the most coronavirus cases in the country. The measures - initially in force until 19 April - stop people travelling unless they have a "very good reason". The military is supporting the police in enforcing the measures.
  

Protective equipment for Spain health workers

As we've been reporting, Spain has the second-highest number of deaths from coronavirus in the world - after Italy. And those who look after patients have themselves been infected in large numbers - more than 9,444 are confirmed to have the virus.
The figure, announced on Friday, has nearly doubled since 24 March when it stood at 5,400.
A plane carrying 1.2 million face masks arrived in Madrid on Saturday morning.
And a military aircraft took off from Zaragoza to Shanghai where it will pick up a shipment of medical equipment, according to El Pais.
The Spanish government has extended the state of emergency until at least 12 April. People's movements are severely restricted and most shops and businesses closed.

Drone police slammed for 'shaming' walkers

A police force in England's Peak District has been accused of "nanny policing" after it shared aerial shots of walkers. Derbyshire Police is among several forces trying to stop what they consider unnecessary journeys. Cumbria Police have warned drivers they could face fines.  Read more

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack self-isolating

Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack, has developed mild symptoms associated with coronavirus and is self-isolating.
The Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack, who is the Conservative MP for Dumfries and Galloway, says he has not been tested for the virus and his symptoms are a mild temperature and a cough.
“In the past 24 hours, I have developed mild symptoms associated with coronavirus," he said.
“In line with medical guidance, I am self-isolating and working from home.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and England's health secretary, Matt Hancock, both confirmed that they had tested positive on Friday, while England's Chief Medical Officer, Prof Chris Whitty, has shown symptoms.
Health Minister Nadine Dorries was the first UK MP to test positive for the virus earlier this month.

Cruise ship race to offload healthy passengers

A cruise ship carrying more than 1,800 people off the coast of Panama is racing to move healthy passengers to another ship after four people died - even though the cause is unconfirmed.
Two others on board the Zaandam cruise ship have tested positive for coronavirus according to its owners, Holland America.
More than 130 people onboard have “flu-like symptoms” and respiratory issues.
Holland America wants to transfer healthy passengers to a sister ship, the Rotterdam, which is also off the coast of Panama.
The Zaandam had been hoping to sail to Florida but authorities in Panama said the vessel could not pass through the Panama Canal with coronavirus cases onboard.
Authorities have however given the go-ahead for the transfer of healthy passengers between the two ships.
Read more about the current situation here

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28th March continued ... (Part 2)

New York state the centre of US outbreak

The US now has more than 100,000 cases and nearly half of them are in New York state.

Inside the UK's makeshift hospital

Pictures released by the UK government show how the ExCel Centre in East London is being converted into a makeshift field hospital.
Dubbed the Nightingale Hospital, the temporary base in the capital’s Docklands is expected to open its doors in the next few days to its first patients and will eventually hold up to 4,000 beds.

China's hospital built in 10 days

The UK has almost finished completing its first makeshift hospital (see previous post) - and it's one of many countries which has constructed temporary facilities to cope with the outbreak.
You may remember that the Chinese authorities built a new hospital from scratch in just over a week in Wuhan.


Urgent building works have also been taking place on the outskirts of Moscow.
The BBC's Sarah Rainsford went to the site and spoke to construction workers and people living close by.

Man charged for coughing at police officer

Here in the UK. a man who coughed at a police officer and claimed he had coronavirus has been charged with common assault, say Greater Manchester Police.
The officer is now self-isolating as a precaution.
Police were responding to an incident in Piccadilly Gardens on Thursday and were detaining Mateusz Rejewski, 33, who is said to have then coughed at an officer.
He has been remanded in custody and will appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday on one count of common assault on an emergency service worker and one count of breaching a dispersal notice.
Meanwhile, police patrolling in north Devon on Friday turned back a driver who was travelling from Birmingham.
Restrictions on travel issued by the government

What are the different tests for coronavirus?

Michelle Roberts - Health editor, BBC News online
There are two main types of test that are useful in fighting the epidemic:

• The antigen or "have I got coronavirus now?" test will tell you if someone is currently infected and risks spreading it to others. That's the one that is being used to check very ill patients in hospitals and will now be rolled out to NHS staff too.
  
• The antibody or "have I recently had coronavirus" test is not available to the public yet but Public Health England is ordering it in the millions and will distribute it as soon as they are confident about its accuracy. That would help tell us how many people got coronavirus with no or only mild symptoms.
  

Both are vital to get a better handle on how to stop the spread of this deadly disease.

here are some of the latest key developments we have noticed:

• The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged, has partially reopened after more than two months in isolation. Some metro services have restarted and people are now allowed to enter Wuhan, but not to leave
  
• Spain's coronavirus death toll has risen by 832 in 24 hours, bringing it to 5,690 - second only to Italy. The number of people recovering is also increasing
  
• South Korea says that for the first time it now has more people who have recovered from the virus than are still infected
  
• The UK's Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack has developed mild symptoms associated with coronavirus and is self-isolating
  

• Russia has begun a "non-working week" aimed at curbing the spread of the virus
  
• New restrictions have also come into force in Ireland, where people are now only allowed outside to get food or medicine, for essential work or to exercise
  
• In Italy, a 101-year-old man who tested positive for Covid-19 has recovered
  
• Japan has promised an unprecedented financial stimulus package in a bid to address the economic impact of coronavirus
  

Spread of infections continues

Countries around the world have been updating the number of people caught up by the pandemic. Here's a breakdown of some of the latest figures:

• Authorities in the Netherlands have reported 1,159 new coronavirus cases and 93 deaths. So far, 9,762 cases have been reported in the country and 639 deaths
  
• Switzerland says deaths from coronavirus have risen to 235 - an increase of 40 in 24 hours. The country has confirmed 13,213 cases
  
• Vietnam's health ministry says there have been a total of 174 confirmed cases and no deaths
  
• In Russia, officials have reported a total of 1,264 cases - an increase of 228 in 24 hours. The country has reported four deaths in total, but these figures have been disputed
  
• The Czech Republic says 2,422 people have tested positive so far, and nine people have died
  
• Belgium has reported 1,850 new cases and 64 deaths in 24 hours. In total, the country has reported 9,134 cases and 353 deaths
  
• Iran says 2,517 people have now died from coronavirus, with 139 fatalities in the past 24 hours. In total, the country has reported 3,076 cases
  

More on the increase in UK fatalities

Across the UK, 1,019 people have now died.
Acccording to NHS England, a further 246 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths to 935.
The number of people who have died in Scotland has risen by seven to 40.
In Wales, another four people have died bringing the number to 38.
Two more people have died in Northern Ireland, bringing the number to 15.
120,776 coronavirus tests have taken place, with 17,089 positive results and 103,687 people testing negative.

The latest in the US

• On Friday, President Donald Trump signed a $2.2tr (£1.8tr) bailout bill passed by Congress, the largest fiscal stimulus in US history
  
• The bill intends to bring relief to companies and average Americans, more than 3.3m of whom are newly out of work due to the global pandemic
  
• Mr Trump also invoked the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to force auto manufacturer General Motors to make ventilators
  

• Doctors and nurses have been sounding the alarm about a lack of medical equipment, calling it a "national shame"
  
• The mayors of about 90% of US cities say they expect massive shortages of critical personal safety equipment in the coming weeks
  
• There are over 100,000 Covid-19 patients in the US, more than any other country in the world
  

Britons left in limbo in India

When the world’s largest democracy embarked on the world’s largest lockdown - 1.3 billion people under curfew in India – it left many Brits in limbo.
With flights suspended until mid-April at least, those on holiday or visiting family, have no way of returning to the UK, unless evacuation flights are laid on by the British government.
I’ve talked to several who say they’re desperate - unable to get food as basic supplies run low in some places, worried for their health as they run out of their medications.
Others say they’re scared to leave their hotels, as a backlash against foreigners grows - amid fears they are spreading the virus.
The British Embassy in India says its working around the clock to get people home, but many travellers say they’re still waiting for replies and reassurance from officials.
They question why the UK government has yet to arrange evacuation flights from India when other countries including Germany, Japan and Israel already have.
The German mission in India has even flown some Brits out on its rescue flights.
More than 20,000 people have now signed an online petition calling for the UK government to do more. One signatory had this message for the government - let’s do the right thing and bring them home.

UK fatalities rise by 260 in one day

More on the sombre news that 1,019 people have died in the UK since the outbreak began.
There have been 260 more deaths from coronavirus in the UK over the past 24 hours, latest government figures show.
Wales has reported 38 new deaths, Scotland a further seven, and two more people have died as a result of coronavirus in Northern Ireland.

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UK fatalities rise by 260 in one day

More on the sombre news that 1,019 people have died in the UK since the outbreak began.
There have been 260 more deaths from coronavirus in the UK over the past 24 hours, latest government figures show.
Scotland has reported seven new deaths, there has been a further four in Wales, and two more people have died as a result of coronavirus in Northern Ireland.

What's the latest in New York City?

New York City remains the epicentre of the US coronavirus outbreak with more than 45,000 infections and 510 deaths.
On Friday Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city could begin issuing $500 fines this weekend to park goers and religious worshippers who do not heed the city's stay-at-home orders.
City hospitals are rapidly running out of medical equipment.
The USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship with 1,000 beds aboard, is leaving Virginia on Saturday and will station itself at a Manhattan pier to deal with the overload of patients that the city expects. Mr Trump, a famous New Yorker, plans to see the ship off from its base later and "kiss it goodbye"

Global infections top 600,000

The number of cases around the world has now surpassed 600,000, according to latest figures.
In Europe, meanwhile the number of deaths has surpassed 20,000, the same data compiled by Johns Hopkins University shows,
The university has been keeping track of the number of coronavirus cases and deaths on its online global dashboard.
The latest landmark came just two days after the world passed half a million infections.
Global cases topped 100,000 on 6 March, 200,000 on 18 March, 300,000 on 21 March and 400,000 on 24 March, the university's dashboard shows.
The five countries with the most cases are:

• The US, with 104,865
  
• Italy, with 86,498
  
• China, with 81,996
  
• Spain, with 72,248
  
• Germany, with 53,340
  

India defends 'pre-emptive, pro-active and graded' measures

The Indian government has defended its handling of the coronavirus outbreak after a strict lockdown left millions stranded and without food.
India's population of 1.3 billion was given less than four hours' notice of the three-week lockdown on Tuesday. People are banned from leaving their homes under the measures.
Millions have been left jobless and without money by the shutdown, sparking an exodus from major cities. Thousands of migrant workers are walking long distances back to their villages after transport was stopped.
On Saturday the Information and Broadcasting Ministry hit back against criticism that the measures were announced without planning. The country's response had been "pre-emptive, pro-active and graded", it said in a statement.
Officially about 900 people have coronavirus in India. However, experts worry that the real number of infections could be far higher. India has one of the lowest testing rates in the world, although efforts are under way to ramp up capacity.
There are fears that an outbreak in the country - one of the world's most densely-populated - could result in a catastrophe. So far 20 people are reported to have died.
Read more here.

Business secretary to chair UK briefing shortly

The UK's daily press briefing is expected to begin at around 16:00GMT.
Downing Street says it will be chaired by Business Secretary Alok Sharma, who will be joined by Prof Stephen Powis, the medical director at NHS England.
Saturday's press conference comes as:

• The number of people to have died with the virus passed 1,000 for the first time. In total, there has been 1,019 deaths nationwide - a daily rise of 260
  
• The UK says it is ramping up testing for frontline hospital staff and their families
  
• New testing labs are expected to start work to process samples across the country this weekend
  
• Work begins on a new temporary hospital at London's ExCel centre, while two new ones will also be set up in Birmingham and Manchester
  
• And Scottish Secretary Alister Jack became the latest minister to develop symptoms, after both Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock tested positive
  

We'll bring you the latest news and analysis of what they have to say here.

First working NHS surgeon dies in UK

An organ transplant consultant has become the first working NHS surgeon to die in the UK from coronavirus.
Dr Adel El Tayar died on Wednesday at a hospital in London. Tributes poured in for the 63-year-old, who was originally from Sudan, following news of his death.
BBC presenter Zeinab Badawi, Dr El Tayar's cousin, said he had volunteered to be on the frontline of the health service to fight the coronavirus outbreak.
More than 1,000 people have died in the UK since the outbreak began.

Russia to close borders

Russia is fully closing its borders from Monday as it attempts to stop the spread of coronavirus.
The closure includes all rail, road, footpath, river and combined crossing points, a government order said.
Russia has recorded 228 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 1,264 people. Five people have now died in Russia, according to Interfax, with four fatalities in Moscow.

What’s happened so far today?

• Global infections have topped 600,000. According to latest figures by Johns Hopkins University, the number of deaths in Europe has surpassed 20,000.
  
• Here in the UK, fatalities have risen by 260, bringing the total to 1,019. Business Secretary Alok Sharma is set to deliver the press briefing at 16:00GMT.
  
• Spain’s coronavirus death toll has risen by 832 in 24 hours, bringing it to 5,690. However the number of people recovering from the virus is also increasing, with a total of 12,285 out of over 72,000 cases.
  
• The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged, has partially reopened after more than two months in isolation.
  
• South Korea says it has more people who have recovered from the virus than infected.
  
• The US has approved rapid testing kits. They will be able to detect coronavirus within five minutes.
  
• The USNS Comfort, a US Navy hospital ship will leave Virginia on Saturday and station itself in New York City, the epicentre of the US outbreak, to help it cope with an overload of patients.
  
• The Indian government has defended its handling of the outbreak after a strict lockdown left millions without food. India's population of 1.3 billion was given less than four hours' notice of the three-week lockdown on Tuesday.
  

Downing Street briefing begins

Saturday's UK press conference is under way.
We're joined by Business Secretary Alok Sharma and NHS England medical director, Prof Stephen Powis.

Staff can defer annual leave for two years, Sharma says

Mr Sharma says that workers can now defer their annual leave for another two years.
"This will protect staff from losing out, while providing businesses with flexibility when they need it most."
He adds that banks are processing thousands of applications for loans designed to help businesses with an annual turnover below £45m.
And he adds local authorities are beginning to receive funds in order to distribute as grants to small and medium businesses.

Sharma: More hand sanitizer 'in days'

Mr Sharma adds that by reducing red tape the government hopes to get more hand sanitizer to the market quickly.
He adds that suppliers will be able to bring the product to market in a matter of days.
“We are also introducing a range of measures to boost the supply of personal protective equipment, such as face masks, to protect frontline NHS staff,” he continued.

'If we keep deaths under 20,000 we will have done well'

NHS England medical director Prof Stephen Powis says if the death toll in the UK is kept below 20,000, "we will have done very well". It was "possible to get on top of this virus", he added.

UK not yet at capacity for intensive care beds

We move onto questions from journalists now.
The BBC's Dominic Hughes asks medical director of NHS England Prof Powis how full intensive care beds around the UK are.
Prof Powis says: "We are not at capacity yet within London, but beds are being opened all the time to produce that extra surge capacity."
In the first instance, he says theatres and recovery areas are being used for patients as ventilators are already set up in those areas. He says that is already doubling the capacity.

Johnson 'leading response from the front'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is showing mild symptoms of the coronavirus but is "absolutely leading the response from the front", Business Secretary Alok Sharma says.
"He continues to lead the government's effort in combating Covid-19. This morning he held a video conference , Mr Sharma said.
"I think the one thing this has reminded us is no-one is immune."

28th March continued ... (Part 3)

Trump: 'New York area should be quarantined'

While the New York governor delivers his daily briefing, President Trump tells reporters he is thinking of enacting a quarantine on New York, as well as Connecticut and New Jersey.
"We’d like to see New York quarantined because it’s a hotspot — New York, New Jersey, maybe one or two other places, certain parts of Connecticut quarantined," he said on his way to Virginia to see a US Navy hospital ship off on its two-day journey to New York City.
"I’m thinking about that right now. We might not have to do it, but there’s a possibility that sometime today we’ll do a quarantine - short-term two weeks for New York, probably New Jersey and parts of Connecticut.”

Cuomo responds to Trump on NY quarantine

Governor Cuomo is asked during his briefing about President Trump's suggestion that he may enforce a quarantine on New York and surrounding states.
"I didn't speak to him about any quarantine," says Mr Cuomo, adding that he was late to today's briefing because he had been speaking on the phone to Mr Trump.
"I haven't had those conversations. I don't even know what that means."

New York governor: 'I don't like the sound of it'

Asked again about Mr Trump's claim that a lockdown of New York would be "enforceable", Governor Andrew Cuomo repeats that he doesn't even understand what the president suggested.
"I don't even know what that means. I don't know how that can be legally enforceable. And from a medical point of view, I don't know what you would be accomplishing."
"But I can tell you I don't even like the sound of it, not really knowing what it is. But I don't like the sound of it."

UK working 'around the clock' to get citizens back

Alok Sharma concludes the UK briefing by addressing a question about whether the UK has been slower than other countries in repatriating its citizens currently overseas.
"I don't think that's the case," he says. "Where there have been other options for British nationals to come back to the UK, we have laid on repatriation flights. And we will continue to work around the clock to make sure that we get out people back."

Anger as London market stays open

The "uber middle class" area of West Hampstead in London has been trending on Twitter today after photos and videos of its farmers' market were shared widely.
Many have been angered by scenes of people not observing social distancing rules at a time when shopping is supposed to be kept to a minimum.
"West Hampstead market still open. I suppose the need for organic and ethically sourced kumquat aromatherapy oil has never been higher," one user sarcastically tweeted.
"There appears to be absolutely no social distancing at West Hampstead farmers market whatsoever. This is mad," tweeted Oliver Cooper, a Conservative councillor for Hampstead.

UK government briefing: Main points

We've just finished hearing from the UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma and the medical director of NHS England Prof Stephen Powis on the latest developments in the UK. Earlier we heard that another 260 people had died in the past 24 hours, bringing the number to 1,019.
Here are the key points:

• Prof Powis said if the UK were to keep the number of deaths from coronavirus below 20,000, "we will have done very well"
  
• London, which is ahead of the rest of the country in terms of coronavirus cases, is not yet at capacity for intensive care unit beds
  

• Mr Sharma said the government would improve the insolvency system to give companies extra time and space to "weather the storm"
  
• He also promised to "boost the supply" of personal protective equipment to frontline staff on the NHS
  
• Mr Sharma said the rules around testing of new products would be relaxed, in particular on hand sanitiser, to allow producers to bring products to market "in a matter of days"
  

• The prime minister, who has tested positive for Covid-19, is displaying "mild symptoms" and continues to lead the government "from the front", Mr Sharma said.
  

Italy's death toll hits 10,000

Another terrible day for Italy, with another 889 deaths in 24 hours. Italy has now seen 10,023 deaths and 92,472 cases. Some 70,065 are currently infected and 12,384 have recovered.

US approves rapid testing kits

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new test that can positively detect coronavirus in five minutes.
Abbott Laboratories, which makes the kit, says they expect to sell 50,000 tests per day beginning next week.
The company says it takes 13 minutes to deliver a negative result.
The US has struggled to deploy rapid testing, with some available kits taking nearly a week to deliver results.
Senator Rand Paul, the highest ranked US lawmaker to come down with Covid-19 so far, took six days to get his own test results back.
During that time he returned to work on Capitol Hill, where he risked spreading the virus to other lawmakers

British ski workers return home from Austria

Bethany Bell - BBC News, Vienna
A total of 260 British people - most of whom are seasonal workers in ski resorts - were able to fly home from Austria on Saturday.
British citizens were brought to Innsbruck Airport by bus and a police escort in compliance with strict hygiene and safety requirements, the provincial government in Tyrol said said.
The seasonal workers had been based at ski resorts in Paznauntal and St Anton, areas both under quarantine.

French PM: 'Fight is just beginning'

The first 15 days in April will be “even more difficult than the 15 we have just left”, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has warned.
France has recorded 1,998 deaths and has been in lockdown for 10 days, a period which has now been extended until 15 April.
"I want to speak clearly to the French," said Mr Philippe. "The fight is just beginning."
Health Minister Olivier Veran said resources were being increased, including an order of more than one billion masks for health workers.

What’s happened so far today?

• UK deaths have risen by 260, bringing the total to 1,019
  
• Italy has now had 10,023 fatalities after 889 people died in the last 24 hours. The country has now seen 92,472 cases, with 70,065 currently infected and 12,384 having recovered
  
• Spain’s coronavirus death toll rose by 832 in 24 hours, bringing it to 5,690. However, the number of people recovering is also increasing, with a total of 12,285 out of over 72,000 cases
  
• US President Trump has told reporters he is thinking of placing a quarantine on New York, as well as Connecticut and New Jersey
  
• However, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo seems perplexed by President Trump’s suggestion saying he doesn’t “even know what that means” or how it could be “legally enforceable”
  
• The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged, has partially reopened after more than two months in isolation
  
• South Korea says it has more people who have recovered from the virus than infected
  

Italy announces sombre landmark of 10,000 deaths

Another deadly day for Italy in its fight against coronavirus, with 10,023 deaths declared by civil protection officials.
It is by far the worst affected country in the global pandemic, with another 889 in the past 24 hours. That figure is a fall of 30 on Friday's death toll.
There are glimmers of hope from Rome. The number of recovered patients has reached the highest this week, with 1,434 in the past 24 hours. The rate of new infections has fallen to 3,651, some 750 fewer than Friday.
Lombardy remains the worst affected region with 542 of the latest fatalities, bringing the number there to almost 6,000 deaths since the outbreak began last month.

Highlights from New York briefing

Here's a bit more from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's daily briefing from the state capital in Albany.
Here is what he said:

• New York City officials may shut parks and issue fines to people who continue to congregate in groups, in violation of state social distancing orders
  
• New medical centres have opened across the state, with 4,000 new hospital beds created in recent days. One new treatment centre has been opened in each of NYC's five boroughs
  
• The apex, which Mr Cuomo called "the war", is still 14 - 21 days away -and the time to prepare is now
  
• He said he had not talked to President Trump about the idea of an "enforceable" quarantine imposed on the state, as well as the surrounding states of New Jersey and Connecticut
  
• States should not be outbidding each other for medical devices - rather the federal government should do the buying on behalf of each state.
  

The latest from the Middle East

A lot has been happening today. To catch you up, here is some of the latest coronavirus news from the Middle East.

• Iran, one of the world's worst-hit countries, is going to allocate 20% of its annual state budget to fighting the outbreak, President Hassan Rouhani has said. Over the last 24 hours 139 more people died, bringing the total to 2,517
  
• Palestinian groups in Gaza have cancelled mass rallies planned for next week along the border with Israel, amid concerns about the spread of the virus in the densely populated territory
  
• Qatar reported its first death from coronavirus, and 28 more cases - bringing the total number of infections in the Gulf nation to 590.
  

How is the UK policing lockdown?

From on-the-spot-fines to dying blue lagoons black...
Police here in the UK are able to issue on-the-spot penalty notices of up to £60 ($75) or even make arrests for those seen to be flouting UK measures to help tackle the virus.
And there have been a few - if not entirely typical - cases of disobedience to handle. They include those caught threatening key workers by coughing, who will face serious criminal charges. At least two men have been convicted already.
Another man in Nottinghamshire has been charged with assault after allegedly spitting at officers while claiming to have symptoms.
Elsewhere, some police forces have been using more unusual tactics.
For example, in Derbyshire police threw black dye into a tourist hotspot known as the blue lagoon, in a bid to reduce visitor numbers.
One would-be holidaymaker from the Midlands was forced to turn his motorhome around on the motorwayin Devon, with one sergeant saying the trip was "not in the spirit" of the effort to tackle the outbreak.
And one force has witnessed a surge in calls from people reporting neighboursfor going for more than one jog a day, or congregating for barbecues
Meanwhile, police have begun appealing for retired officers to return to the fold during the pandemic.
Ex officers have been telling the BBC why they are willing to answer the call.

'Every one of us now has a part to play'

Philippa Roxby - Health reporter, BBC News
Despite today's news of the largest rise in people dying in the UK with Covid-19, the message is that everything we are all doing now to reduce social contact is having an impact.
We just can't see it in the figures yet.
That's because it takes time for the effects of not going out and not going to work to be felt in hospitals, where the most seriously-ill are being tested and some are, sadly, dying.
The epidemic is expected to peak in the UK in the next two to three weeks.
Until then, it is likely the number of people confirmed to have the coronavirus and the number of people dying after testing positive for the virus will continue to grow at a similar pace - doubling every two or three days.
The hope is that everyone's efforts now to stay at home and reduce the spread of this deadly virus will slow that growth rate at the right time, and, in time, bring it down.
Luck doesn't come into it, people are being told. Only a huge national effort will make the difference. Every one of us now has a part to play in making that happen.

Worldwide death toll surpasses 30,000

The worldwide death toll from coronavirus has surpassed 30,000 according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Italy has recorded the most deaths with the toll standing at 10,023.
Earlier today Spain announced its total number of deaths had reached 5,690.

Canada bans anyone with symptoms from planes and trains

Canada has said it is banning people with COVID-19 symptoms from domestic flights and trains.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the measures on Saturday.
Under the new rules, which come into effect on Monday, people with symptoms will be denied travel on domestic flights and intercity trains.
According to a government press release, train operators and airlines will have to conduct a health check of passengers before they travel.
During the check, they will be asked health questions and staff will be required to look for signs of illness, according to the Globe and Mail.  Those who show symptoms will not be allowed to travel for 14 days.
“If you feel the onset of symptoms of a cold or of COVID-19, you need to stay at home, you need to isolate, you need to not travel,” Mr Trudeau said.
He added that Canadians had been doing an excellent job at staying at home but he would enforce further measures to keep Canadians safe if needed.
“Right now we’re not looking at closing the provincial borders,” he said.

Football season 'could be lost' - Uefa

Football seasons around the world have been interrupted by the pandemic.
Now, with most leagues in Europe suspended, one of the continent's leading figures has warned that the current season could be lost entirely.
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has suggested that games could be played behind closed doors, but he warned the situation needs to be resolved before July.
"If we don't succeed in restarting, the season will probably be lost," the Slovenian said.
Read the full story here.

Death toll rises in Republic of Ireland

The Republic of Ireland has seen 14 more deaths in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of people to have died to 36.
All 14 people who died were located in the east of the country, with a median age of 81.
A further 294 cases of coronavirus were reported in the country on Saturday bringing the number of confirmed cases to 2,415.
Earlier Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar had clarified that people could travel further than 2km from home to buy food and medicine, after announcing further restrictions on Friday.

Leo Varadkar tweeted:
No need to do all shopping or stockpile this morning. Food stores and takeaways staying open in the emergency. The 2km is about exercising locally. You can go beyond the 2km to buy food and medicines. The supplies are good. We all have a part to play in rising to this challenge

How the UK transformed in a month

The UK has transformed beyond recognition in the space of a month.
From one confirmed case to school closures and a lockdown, this piece by BBC Stories explores how everything happened so quickly.
Read the story in full here.

UK government launches daily check-in text service

People in self-isolation with suspected Covid-19 symptoms are to receive regular check-in texts from the NHS to check how they are.
On Saturday the UK government launched a new messaging service which will send daily texts to new patients who register their symptoms and contact details with the 111 online service.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "I know all too well that experiencing symptoms can be worrying, but for those living on their own it will be even more so. Alongside other measures, this new daily text service will reassure our most vulnerable that they are not alone, and also to help them manage their symptoms."
The service was commissioned by NHSX and built by NHS Digital and the NHS Business Services Authority.

What's the latest in Africa?

• The virus has now spread to dozens of countries on the African continent with 2,650 confirmed infected and 49 dead.
  
• A fence is being constructed at the border between South Africa and Zimbabwe despite a 21 day lockdown being in place. The fence, announced a week ago, aims to keep foreign nationals out of the country to combat the spread of the virus. Seven people in Zimbabwe have tested positive for COVID-19.
  
• Somalia’s Al-Shabaab militants have refused to take part in a ceasefire called for by the UN Secretary General over the outbreak. The UN had urged all militant groups around the world to sign a ceasefire to allow the globe to tackle the virus.
  

• Uganda has paused its open door policy for refugees and asylum seekers for 30 days. Those already in the country will be given help in line with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health.
  

• There are concerns in Malawi that the virus could threaten a rerun of the country’s elections slated for 2 July. The rerun was ordered by the country’s constitutional court.
  

A visual sense of the pandemic

Our visual data team have put together an interesting set of maps showing the real extent of the pandemic.
In Europe, Italy has the highest number of confirmed cases with over 92,400. Over 10,000 people have died.
Germany has over 56,000 confirmed cases with 325 recorded deaths.


Another map from our team shows the number of cases in the US by state. New York continues to be the epicentre of the outbreak.
For more graphs and stats on the pandemic, take a look at our visual guide here.

Rhode Island hunts down New Yorkers

Rhode Island, the smallest state in the US, has called on the National Guard to stop all cars with New York license plates to ask about where they plan to self-isolate for 14 days, as required under the state's emergency orders.
Troops are also going door-to-door in seaside vacation communities in search of New Yorkers.
"Right now, we have a pinpointed risk that we need to address, and we need to be very serious and that risk is called New York City," said Governor Gina Raimondo at a news conference on Friday.
New York state has the most cases in the US right now - with more than 50,000 cases.

US records first infant death

The US has recorded its first death from an infant who tested positive for coronavirus.
The baby died in Chicago, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr Ngozi Ezike said.
"There has never before been a death associated with Covid-19 in an infant. A full investigation is under way to determine the cause of death," Dr Ezike said.
"We must do everything we can to prevent the spread of this deadly virus. If not to protect ourselves, but to protect those around us."
The death of a child less than a year old with coronavirus was previously reported in China, but that child had a pre-existing condition.

What happened in the UK today?

Here's a recap of the latest coronavirus developments in the UK today:

• The number of people to have died with coronavirus in the UK reached 1,019 - an increase of 260 in one day
  
• "Now is not the time to be complacent," warned NHS England medical director Stephen Powis at the daily press conference
  
• Business Secretary Alok Sharma announced changes to insolvency rules to give companies greater flexibility to "weather the storm" of the crisis
  
• He also promised to "boost the supply" of personal protection equipment (PPE) to NHS frontline staff
  
• England started testing hospital staff for coronavirus
  

• Boris Johnson chaired the morning Covid-19 meeting via video-link as he - and Health secretary Matt Hancock - began self-isolation
  
• The business secretary, Mr Sharma, later said the prime minister would "continue to lead right from the front"
  
• Meanwhile, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has become the third member of the cabinet to begin self-isolation after showing symptoms
  

• And Britons in India say they have been left "abandoned" with "no help whatsoever" from the UK government after the country was put under lockdown on 23 March with less than four hours' notice
  

NY governor agrees to 'quarantine' - but not to 'lockdown'

Earlier today, President Trump said he was considering imposing a quarantine on New York, and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut, to slow the spread of coronavirus.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has responded by saying that the "quarantine" is already happening in his state, which has banned major gatherings and ordered people to remain at home. However, Mr Cuomo said he would oppose any effort to "lockdown" his state.
"If you said we were geographically restricted from leaving, that would be a lockdown," he told CNN.
"Then we would be Wuhan, China, and that wouldn’t make any sense," he said, adding that this would cause the stock market to crash in a way that would make it impossible for the US economy to "recover for months, if not years".
"You would paralyse the financial sector," he added, calling it the opposite of Mr Trump's hope to quickly jumpstart the US economy.
"It's a preposterous idea, frankly," he said, adding it would be "anti-American" and a "declaration of war" on states by the federal government.
It is not clear whether Mr Trump could close state borders. While the president does have sweeping powers, especially during a national emergency, it is the role of state and local governments to take the lead in preventing the spread of disease.
Mr Cuomo also said that he plans to sue Rhode Island if they continue targeting New Yorkers to threaten them with punishment if they do not quarantine. That state's governor has mobilised soldiers to seek out fleeing New Yorkers.

That's all for now

We're pausing our live coverage for now, but we'll be back with the latest coronavirus updates from tomorrow morning.
A lot has happened today, so here's a quick recap:

• The global death toll has now passed 30,000, with some nations marking their own sombre landmarks
  
• Deaths in the UK passed 1,000, hitting a total of 1,019; Spain's death toll exceeded 5,000, reaching 5,690; and Italy's death toll surpassed 10,000, with a new total of 10,023. Overall deaths in Europe exceeded 20,000 for the first time
  
• US President Donald Trump told reporters that he was thinking of placing a quarantine on New York, Connecticut and New Jersey - but New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he did not see how that could be legally enforceable
  
• In positive news, the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first emerged late last year, has partially reopened after more than two months in isolation
  
• South Korea also says it has more people who have recovered from the virus than are currently infected
  
• And the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new test that can positively detect the coronavirus in just five minutes
  

Summary for 29th March


   - President Trump backs down after saying he is considering a quarantine on New York and two other states
   - UK PM Boris Johnson warns things will get worse
   - On Saturday, a top UK official said the UK "will have done very well" if it kept deaths below 20,000
   - Number of US deaths doubles in two days to more than 2,000
   - Boris Johnson warns the crisis will get worse in a letter to UK households
   - Concerns that forcing families to stay indoors could lead to increased cases of abuse
   - Australia’s health minister says there are “positive early signs” that the growth in cases is starting to slow
   - In Europe, the number of people killed passes 20,000
   - Portugal grants residency to all migrants who have applied, because of the pandemic

7:53

What are the latest developments?

Here's what else has been happening over the last few hours:

• The number of people who have died with coronavirus in the UK has now reached 1,019, with a further 260 deaths announced on Saturday
  
• British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has had her temporary leave from prison in Tehran extended by two weeks, according to her husband. She was released from prison earlier this month because of the outbreak
  
• A cruise ship - the Zaandam - carrying more than 1,800 people off Panama has begun moving healthy passengers to another ship after four people died and two others tested positive for the virus
  
• In Europe, the number of people killed by the virus has risen above 20,000, with both Italy and Spain reporting more than 800 deaths in one day
  
• Australia’s Health Minister has said there are “positive early signs” that the growth in cases is starting to slow. The rate of new infections in Australia has halved over the past week.
  
• Tokyo has confirmed 68 new coronavirus cases, Japan's record daily increase, broadcaster NHK reported on Sunday
  

NYC 'avoid travel' warning

We've been reporting about US President Donald Trump's initial suggestion for - and later reversal - of a policy to quarantine New York.
Hours later, health authorities urged 8.6 million people of New York City, the hardest-hit municipality, and others in the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut millions of NYC residents to avoid non-essential travel for 14 days, citing “extensive community transmission”.
The rate of infections there has been surging. The number of confirmed American deaths has now passed 2,000 - more than double the level two days earlier.

Key developments in the UK

Good morning to those joining us in the UK. Here is a quick summary of the latest developments:

• UK households are going to receive a letter from the prime minister warning that the crisis will get worse before it gets better. Boris Johnson, who is in self-quarantine after testing positive on Friday, also says stricter restrictions will be put in place if necessary
  
• A leaflet will also be sent to the 30 million households, giving more information about government rules on leaving the house, as well as health guidance
  
• The first of three flights chartered by the Foreign Office to bring home British tourists stranded in Peru will leave the capital Lima on Sunday. The Foreign Office says it is working "around the clock" to support British travellers stranded in India
  
• On Saturday a further 260 deaths were announced in the UK, taking the total to 1,019
  
• In Northern Ireland, new powers have come into force to ensure people stay at home and businesses stay closed. Penalties, including fines of up to £5,000, have been brought in
  
• In Wales, NHS staff will receive free bus travel throughout the nation as part of a government deal with bus companies
  
• And the Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack, continues to self-isolate after it was revealed he had developed symptoms
  

Portugal gives migrants residency

Portugal has announced that it will approve all applications for legal residence by migrants, because of a backlog of cases made worse by the coronavirus.
All asylum seekers who've begun their applications will now be eligible for resident status.
Officials described it as "an act of solidarity at a time of crisis".
The country has reported about 5,000 infections and 100 deaths.

US records first infant death

The US has recorded its first death from an infant who tested positive for coronavirus.
The baby died in Chicago, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr Ngozi Ezike said.
A full investigation is under way to determine the cause of death," Dr Ezike said.
"We must do everything we can to prevent the spread of this deadly virus. If not to protect ourselves, but to protect those around us."
The death of a child less than a year old with coronavirus was previously reported in China, but that child had a pre-existing condition.

UK daily check-in text service

People in self-isolation with suspected Covid-19 symptoms are to receive regular check-in texts from the NHS to check how they are.
On Saturday the UK government launched a new messaging service which will send daily texts to new patients who register their symptoms and contact details with the 111 online service.

UK lockdown 'could last until June'

Tough measures to tackle the outbreak in the UK have been in force for nearly a week - but a leading government adviser has warned they may need to remain in place until June.
Imperial College London Professor Neil Ferguson told the Sunday Times: “We’re going to have to keep these measures (the full lockdown) in place, in my view, for a significant period of time – probably until the end of May, maybe even early June.”
He added that even if the lockdown was lifted, people would probably still need to abide by social distancing measures for months to come.
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told Sky News that the length of the measures was not something that was "absolutely fixed".
He said: "It depends on all of our behaviour. If we follow the guidelines, we can deal more effectively with the spread of the disease."

How the UK has changed in a month

In the space of a month, the United Kingdom has transformed beyond recognition.
At the end of February, children were still in classrooms and adults were still at work. People shook hands and hugged and kissed. In the evening, they went to pubs and restaurants.
Some went on dates and others visited elderly relatives. They assembled in groups and mingled with residents of other households.
But this way of life way of life has ceased to exist entirely within just a few weeks. Read more from Jon Kelly.

Happy Birthday Bob - world's oldest man marks milestone in isolation

The world's oldest man is celebrating his 112th birthday in self-isolation today.
Bob Weighton, a former teacher and engineer from Hampshire in the south of England, was born in 1908, the year the Wright Brothers made their first public flight.
Mr Weighton lived through the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 and is now under lockdown like the rest of the UK.
Last year, he marked his 111th birthday with his many friends at his retirement flat. But this year will be a much quieter affair.
"Everything is cancelled, no visitors, no celebration," he said.
"It's a dead loss as far as celebration is concerned."
[Me] - Can't resist commenting on this:  Doesn't he look brilliant for 112  

(and it's not an old photo either, cos I saw the live video that he did - chatting away in that he was)

GPs in Wales 'buying their own protective gear'

GPs in parts of Wales are having to buy their own personal protective equipment, with some even asking schools to make it for them with 3D printers.
That's according to a GP practising in an area run by the Aneurin Bevan health board, one of the worst hit areas of the UK.
The GP, who wishes to remain anonymous, also said doctors often had "no choice" but to wear PPE more than once - describing the situation as "dangerous" and "unacceptable".

How has your area been affected?

London remains the epicentre of the UK's outbreak - but cases are by no means restricted to the capital.
Birmingham has also seen a rise in the number of cases in recent days, according to new figures released by the Department for Health.
Use our updated search tool to find out how many cases there are in your area.

Fewer imported cases in China

China has reported 45 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, with all but one from overseas. That compares with 54 cases the previous day, which were all imported.
Only one new case in 10 days has been reported in the city of Wuhan, which was the epicentre of the outbreak, Reuters news agency reports. The city is cautiously reopening after a two-month quarantine.
Flights from Hubei province are also to resume, and more than 260 trains have entered Wuhan after the city resumed inbound services on Saturday, Reuters reports.
Read more here.

Australia: Public gatherings of two people

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced more restrictions, including limiting public gatherings to just two people.
People should only go out when necessary, and those over the age of 70 should stay home, he added.
All playgrounds and outdoor gyms parks will be closed from Monday.
The country's chief medical officer has also said he is confident Australia is testing the majority of cases in the country.

UK government 'needs to clarify' essential work

UK opposition Labour Party is calling for the government to be "crystal clear" over which firms and are considered essential and should remain open during the lockdown.
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: "I'm asking the government to provide absolute clarity about what sorts of work are essential, and which are not."
He says many non-essential workers are being “forced” to go into work where they are unable to observe social distancing advice, adding that many workplaces are not observing the 2m rule.

UK to be in lockdown for 'significant period'

The UK needs to prepare to be under strict measures for a "significant period", Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove says.

UK government 'following social distancing rules'

Here's a little more from the UK's Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove, who says it's "vitally important" that for weeks ahead people follow social distancing guidelines.
Asked how long the UK's lockdown will last, he says: "I can't make an accurate prediction, but everyone does have to prepare for an extended period."
He says the UK's peak is “not a fixed point” in the calendar and timing depends how closely people follow the rules.
After Boris Johnson and a number of other MPs tested positive for the virus, Mr Gove insisted the government had been doing everything to observe the social distancing advice.
"We've been doing everything we can to observe the advice. Within the House of Commons we've been trying to observe that advice."

How can I protect myself?

Because Covid-19 is a new respiratory virus, scientists and governments all around the world are trying to work out the best way to fight it. Vaccine development is under way but for now the best protection is thought to be regular and thorough hand-washing.
You should also:

• Avoid contact with people who are unwell
  
• Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissue
  
• Throw away any used tissues and wash your hands
  
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
  

Many places are also recommending and implementing social distancing measures.
You can read the latest UK advice here, and click here to find out more about the symptoms and how to protect yourself.

UK testing 'ahead of schedule' - Gove

The government has faced criticism about the speed and availability of testing, but Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove says there has been a "significant" acceleration. The UK carried out 10,000 tests yesterday - according to who says that is just ahead of the end-of-March deadline set by the health secretary.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted that the UK was on track to reach 25,000 tests a day.

Juventus players agree pay freeze

Juventus' players and manager Maurizio Sarri have agreed to their pay being stopped for four months to save the club an estimated 90m euros (£80.7m) during the coronavirus pandemic.
All sport in Italy has been suspended until at least 3 April.
The Juve squad, which includes Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey, will not be paid their full salaries in March, April, May and June.
They top Serie A by a point from Lazio.

'Confusion' over EU ventilator scheme

The UK Government missed the deadline to join an EU-wide scheme to get extra ventilators because of "communication confusion", according to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove.
Earlier this week Downing Street said the UK had decided to pursue its own plan rather than joining the EU's procurement scheme, which will use the EU's buying power to purchase more stock.
But Downing Street later said that officials did not get emails inviting the UK to join. The EU has said the UK can still take part.
Asked whether an email was received by the government, Mr Gove said: "There was some communication confusion, I don't know all the details of that."
He added: "I’ve talked to senior figures in the NHS and they’ve reassured me that there is nothing that we can’t do as an independent nation that being part of that scheme would have allowed us to do.” Rememer Brexit? The UK has left the EU - but remains in a transition period during which it is expected to reach its own trade arrangement with the 27-member bloc.
The UK currently has 8,000 ventilators available and has placed orders for another 8,000, but there are concerns about capacity in hospitals as the spread of the virus worsens.

Spain death spike continues unabated

Another 838 people died in Spain in the past 24 hours, the health ministry has announced - the highest daily rise in fatalities so far.
It brings the number of deaths from the virus to 6,528.
The total number of those infected rose to 78,797 from 72,248.

Key developments in Africa

With nearly 4,000 confirmed cases across Africa and 117 deaths, here are the latest updates from the region:

• In Mali, people are voting in long-delayed parliamentary elections a day after the country reported its first death from Covid-19. Some opposition parties had called for it to be postponed
  
• In many countries, churches and other places of worship have closed their doors. In Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, pictures on social media show services taking place outdoors with the worshippers standing or sitting two metres apart
  

• South Africa has 1,187 cases - the largest number on the continent - and it is now in the third day of a three-week nationwide lockdown. The military has called up medics in its reserve force to help deal with the outbreak
  
• Zimbabwe and Ghana are set become the latest countries on the continent to impose full or partial lockdowns. On Monday, Zimbabwe, where there have been seven confirmed cases and one death, begins a 21-day stay-at-home period. At the same time, Ghana’s two biggest cities, Accra and Kumasi, will go into lockdown for a fortnight
  

South Korea introduces new quarantine rules for overseas arrivals

South Korea says all overseas arrivals will have to go into mandatory quarantine for 14 days.
Foreigners can be deported and South Korean citizens will face fines if they do not comply with the measures, which will come into force on 1 April.
All arrivals must download the quarantine app on their phones, which monitors their symptoms and movements.
Around half of the country's new coronavirus cases in recent days have been people coming in from abroad.

We all have a part to play

Philippa Roxby - Health reporter, BBC News
Despite Saturday's news of the largest rise in people dying in the UK with Covid-19, the message is that everything we are all doing now to reduce social contact is having an impact.
We just can't see it in the figures yet.
That's because it takes time for the effects of not going out and not going to work to be felt in hospitals, where the most seriously-ill are being tested and some are, sadly, dying.
The epidemic is expected to peak in the UK in the next two to three weeks.
Until then, it is likely the number of people confirmed to have the coronavirus and the number of people dying after testing positive for the virus will continue to grow at a similar pace - doubling every two or three days.
The hope is that everyone's efforts now to stay at home and reduce the spread of this deadly virus will slow that growth rate at the right time, and, in time, bring it down.
Luck doesn't come into it, people are being told. Only a huge national effort will make the difference. Every one of us now has a part to play in making that happen.

French TGV train used to move patients around

To free up intensive care beds in some of the country's worst-hit areas, France has been using specially adapted TGV trains.
The fast train has been converted into a moving hospital to ferry patients from one part of the country to another.
"We have a lot more space than in an ambulance or a helicopter," says François Braun, president of the Samu emergency service.
Stretchers are attached above the seats and the buffet car has been converted into a medical space.
On Sunday, two medical TGV trains will transfer about 40 patients from eastern cities of Nancy and Mulhouse to the south west, AFP news agency reports.

To catch you up, here's a summary of what's been happening so far - with the death toll worldwide topping 30,000 people.

• Spain has recorded another 838 deaths in the past 24 hours - the highest daily rise in fatalities so far. It's brought the number of deaths in the country to 6,528. It comes after people in Spain paid tribute to the country's health workers on Saturday night
  
• A leading adviser to the UK government, Neil Ferguson, has warned the country's lockdown will need to be in place "probably until the end of May, maybe even early June"
  
• US President Donald Trump has backed away from the idea of quarantining New York after the state's governor, Andrew Cuomo, said the idea was "preposterous"
  
• South Korea has said all overseas arrivals will have to go into mandatory quarantine for 14 days as of 1 April
  
• Australia has tightened its rules too, including limiting public gatherings to just two people, and closing all playgrounds, outdoor gyms and parks from Monday
  

Swiss death toll reaches 257

The Swiss death toll has risen by 235 in a day to 257, Reuters news agency quotes the country's health agency as saying.
The number of confirmed cases has increased to 14,336 from 13,213, it said.
This places Switzerland among the top European countries by number of cases, behind Italy, Spain, Germany, France and the UK.

Latest developments in the UK

As we head towards lunchtime in the UK, here are the latest developments:

• The lockdown will be in place for a “significant period” and could last longer if people do not stick to the rules, according to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove
  
• Each household will receive a letter from the prime minister warning that stricter measures could be put in place if necessary
  
• Home Secretary Priti Patel has pledged to protect victims of domestic abuse, who she says are particularly at risk because of the need to stay at home
  

• The number of people who have died with coronavirus in the UK has reached 1,019, with a further 260 deaths announced on Saturday
  
• Scotland's Chief Medical Officer Catherine Calderwood says restrictions on movements could last for 13 weeks
  
• GPs in parts of Wales claim they are having to buy their own personal protective equipment
  
• In Northern Ireland, new powers have come into force to ensure people stay at home and businesses stay closed
  

India's Modi apologises for lockdown

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Indians for forgiveness after imposing a lockdown.
Amid criticism over the lack of planning ahead of the shutdown which was introduced with less than four hours' notice, Mr Modi apologised for the impact in his weekly radio address.
"Possibly many would be angry at me for being locked in their homes. I understand your troubles but there was no other way to wage war against coronavirus. For a country like India with a population of 1.3 billion it is a battle of life and death and we have to win it."

12:33

What's the latest in the Middle East?

Iran has announced 123 more coronavirus deaths, raising the total number to 2,640. The number of infected people has reached 38,309, officials say.
It has been one of the countries worst-hit by Covid-19.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has shut down entry and exit into the Jeddah governorate and brought forward a curfew there to begin at 15:00 local time (12:00 GMT) rather than 19:00, the state news agency has said.
Saudi Arabia applied the same measures to Riyadh, Mecca and Medina last week. The kingdom has the second highest rate of infections in the Gulf after Iran.

29th March continued ... (Part 2)

13:09

Olympics planned for July 2021 - reports

Reports in Japanese media today suggest the Tokyo Olympics organisers are eyeing next July as a start date for the postponed Games.
Tokyo 2020 was scheduled to open on 24 July this year, with the Paralympics due to start on 25 August, but has been postponed because of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic - a decision unprecedented in peacetime.
Given the ongoing pandemic and need for preparation time, the most likely plan would be for the Games to begin on 23 July 2021, public broadcaster NHK said, citing sources within the organising panel.
Meanwhile, World Athletics president Lord Sebastian Coe says the decision to push back the Games has saved athletes from "mental turmoil", adding that sport had to "take a back seat".

Zaghari-Ratcliffe's prison leave extended

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's temporary leave from prison in Tehran has been extended by two weeks, says her husband.
The British-Iranian charity worker was released from Evin prison on 17 March because of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran.
Richard Ratcliffe also said his wife's file had been put forward to the Iranian prosecutor general for consideration for clemency.
The 41-year-old was jailed in 2016 on charges of spying, something she has always denied.
Read more.

Dutch recall 600,000 defective masks from China

Officials in the Netherlands have recalled hundreds of thousands of protective masks, which were imported from China and distributed to hospitals, because they don't meet quality standards.
The Dutch Health Ministry told AFP news agency that 1.3 million masks were delivered on 21 March. About 600,000 of the masks had already been distributed to healthcare workers.
"The rest of the shipment was immediately put on hold and has not been distributed," the ministry said in a statement.
The problem was either that the masks didn't close over the face properly, or were fitted with defective filters.

What are the chances of dying?

Establishing a death rate is no simple task.
The World Health Organization says about 3.4% of all cases have resulted in deaths, but scientists estimate that the death rate is actually much lower because many cases have mild symptoms and are not reported.
The rate of fatalities also depends on a range of factors including age, sex, pre-existing conditions and the health system you are in.
Click here to find out more about the difficulty in calculating death rates and the groups most at risk.

Drive-through test centres for NHS staff

NHS workers are being tested at two temporary drive-through stations in the UK.
The retailer Boots opened the facilities in the car park of Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey, and at its headquarters in Beeston, Nottinghamshire.
The centres were launched to support the government's bid to test doctors and nurses who have been self-isolating and are unsure whether they have the virus.
The sites are for NHS staff and operate by invitation only, the company said

How do I know if I'm sick?

The most common signs of Covid-19 are a fever, dry cough and breathing difficulties.
For most people the symptoms will be mild but coronavirus can be serious for some, including the elderly or people with certain pre-existing conditions.
Some of the early symptoms can easily be confused with other winter bugs including colds and flu. But, for now, the UK government is advising anyone with a high temperature or a new, continuous cough to self-isolate at home for at least seven days just in case.
Under current guidance, most people may not need to get tested. If you are in the UK and worried about having the symptoms, use the NHS 111 advice service here
You can also read more on the BBC about the symptoms and how to protect yourself.

Protective gear 'not reaching frontline' in England

Urgent supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) for social care staff are not reaching the front line, council leaders in England say.In a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, two organisations say some masks and gloves supplied to staff in care homes are dirty and damaged, making them unusable.
The letter is signed by the chair of the cross-party Local Government Association, James Jamieson, and Julie Ogley, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services.
The letter also raised concern that care users with personal assistants were wrongly being told to contact local authorities to get PPE.
The Department of Health and Social Care said it was “working around the clock” to supply social care workers.
Nail bars and builders’ firms are among those being asked if they can supply equipment.
Meanwhile, a major housing and care provider, Mears, told BBC News that its supplies were being diverted to the NHS and it had not received the amount it needed.

UK ‘wasting time’ on NHS protective gear orders

UK clothes makers say the government has wasted time in ordering personal protective equipment for NHS staff.
Fashion and textile firms believe they could have started making gowns and masks for front-line workers 10 days ago.
"The government is dragging its heels and it is really, really frustrating," said Kate Hills from Make it British, a trade group.
However, the government says it is working "around the clock" to provide support to the NHS and social care staff.

UK deaths rise to 1,228

There have been a further 209 deaths in the UK, taking the number of people who have died with coronavirus in the UK to 1,228, latest figures show.

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What is life like in Wuhan now?

In Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, barricades separating neighbours and shutting shops are still in place.
The Chinese government locked down the city of 11 million people in January in a bid to stop the spread of the virus.
Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, saw more than 50,000 coronavirus cases. At least 3,000 people in Hubei died from the disease.
People were told to remain in their homes with strict rules on those who could leave. The barriers acted as a tool to ensure people adhered to the rules. It is unclear when they will be removed.
One woman who gave her name as Zeng, told Reuters news agency: “When they [barricades] are removed, it will show that we in Wuhan have gained victory over the virus, that we have won.”
The lockdown is expected to remain in place until 8 April. However people are now allowed back into the city. They are not allowed to leave.

New York mayor: City will run out of supplies in 1 week

Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio says that his city will run out of critical medical supplies - including ventilators - by next Sunday, 5 April.
"Here in New York City, it feels like a wartime environment," he told CNN.
New York has become the epicentre of the US coronavirus outbreak. Across the state, at least 52,000 people had tested positive as of Saturday - more than one third of the cases across the country.
At least 728 people have died, 672 of them within New York City.
"This is going to be a long crisis," de Blasio said. "We should get more girded for the sheer timeline here."

'World was warned of global pandemic'

The former director general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland has been talking to BBC Radio 4 about what she says is the lack of "preparedness of the world" for a global pandemic.
Mrs Brundtland, who was the first female prime minister of Norway, is co-chair of the WHO and World Bank's Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, who published a report in September 2019 warning of a "highly lethal pandemic".
“What we have now is a warned catastrophe," she said.
"We saw big alarming gaps in the preparedness of the world and found compelling evidence of a very real threat."
“It’s not too late but we have to deal with the fact we are already in this now, which means putting emphasis on mobilising funding and (placing) attention on getting the equipment that is needed."

'Non-essential' travel checkpoints begin in Britain

New police powers mean UK officers are able to order people to go home, leave an area or disperse, if their journey is not deemed essential.
It comes after people across the UK were urged to stay at home unless absolutely necessary to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Checkpoints have begun appearing in some areas, such as North Yorkshire, but police have urged the public to be mindful of scams.
Two men posing as police officers pulled over a driver and attempted to fine them £60 for "non-essential travel" in East Yorkshire - where checkpoints were not in place.
Police can issue penalty notices but not on-the-spot fines.
Meanwhile, police in Devon forced one would-be holidaymaker from the Midlands to turn around and head home after deeming his trip non-essential.  Read more about new police powers here.

Plane crashes in the Philippines

We're not sure if this is coronavirus related or not yet, but a plane has crashed at Manila's main airport in the Philippines.
Local media reports say the plane was heading for Japan and was carrying medical personnel and a patient.
Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, confirmed his fire and medic teams had been dispatched to the scene.
He said the plane exploded as it was taking off from the runway.
The plane was carrying eight passengers including medical staff, flight crew and a patient along with their companion, he added.
We'll bring you more updates as we get them.

How British police are tackling coronavirus-related crime

Here in the UK, police have been given new powers designed to help protect themselves and other frontline workers from coronavirus-related attacks.
Anyone in England and Wales who coughs on key workers as a threat amid the crisis have been warned they will face serious criminal charges.
And although very rare, sadly a number of allegations have been reported in the last few days. They include:

• One man from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, has been jailed for a year after he was found to have spat at officers while claiming he had coronavirus.
  
• Another man, aged 43, has been charged with assault after a paramedic was allegedly coughed at in the face in Gloucestershire
  
• Two people have been arrested after a woman was allegedly deliberately coughed at in the street in Somerset. Her profession is unknown
  

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100,000-200,000 Americans could die - Dr Fauci

The coronavirus outbreak could kill 100,000 to 200,000 Americans, the government’s top infectious diseases expert warned on Sunday.
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN’s State of the Union that millions would be infected by the virus.
Dr Fauci, a leading member of President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force, added, however: “I don’t want to be held to that ... It’s such a moving target that you can so easily be wrong and mislead people.”

UK press briefing starting shortly
The UK's daily press briefing is expected to begin at around 16:00 BST. Here is a brief summary of what's been happening today:

• The number of people who have died with the virus in the UK has reached 1,228 - an increase of 209 since Saturday.
  
•  The latest figures show there are now 19,522 confirmed cases in the country
  
• Of those deaths, 190 have come in England, 10 in Wales, a further six in Northern Ireland, and one in Scotland
  
• The UK lockdown will be in place for a “significant period” and could last longer if people do not stick to the rules, according to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove
  
• Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says the Scottish government has always been advised to prepare for the measures to be in place for around 13 weeks
  
• Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the government
  
• is now testing 10,000 people a day, and is "on track" to test 25,000 a day by mid-April
  
• And recruitment for volunteers to help the NHS has been paused, after 750,000 people signed up less than a week after the appeal was announced
  

Harries - Six months before we can review

Paul Brand from ITV News asks Dr Harries if current measures in place will continue beyond three weeks.
She points out the UK has only had one week of the measure and that the prime minister said the situation would be "reviewed" after the three weeks.
But she adds it would be "quite dangerous" to then revert to normal life.
"If we stop then all of our efforts will be wasted," she adds.
She says that measures may be reduced gradually over time.
Dr Harries says it might be three to six months before we see the longer-term impact when it can be assessed if we can start to "get back to normal".

Number of deaths expected to 'get worse' - Dr Harries

Dr Harries is asked to elaborate on her comments about the length of the UK's "lockdown".
She says she did not say the measures would last six months. "This is a moving target," she explains.
She says scientists are expecting the daily number of deaths to "get worse" in the next week or two.
She adds that timing is "really important" and called on people to follow the government's advice. And says that the measures will be in place until "we're sure we can start lifting various interventions".
Mr Jenrick is asked whether people should report people for about flouting current measures.
He says there a "moral obligation" on people o protect each other and urged people to stay at home.

Harries: Rate of deaths were expected

Dr Jenny Harries is asked whether the large number of deaths in recent days was expected.
She says: "Sadly the answer is yes, it is as expected.
"It is not an easy position to stand on a platform and say we expect large numbers of people to die... but it is a pandemic and an unprecedented event."
Dr Harries warns she is "expecting that number will increase for the next week or two".
But, "if we keep doing what we are doing" with social distancing measures, she says she "anticipates... it will start to drop".
She adds: "We just need to watch it carefully, hold tight for a week or two, keep doing what we are doing, and then come back and ask me the question again."
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick again avoids divulging what specific stronger measures could be put in place if the current tactics don't work.
He says: "If we all follow the measures, there is every reason to believe we can turn the tide of the virus.
"Of course, if those measures prove insufficient or the public are not complying, then we will have to consider further options but that is not our intention."

Protecting citizens overseas is a 'top priority' - Jenrick

A final question comes from Kate Proctor of the Guardian.
She asks how much the UK will spend to help get British citizens back home from overseas - and whether the RAF will be used to help.
The communities secretary says protecting citizens overseas is a "top priority" and that the prime minister has been speaking to world leaders to help arrange their return.
Mr Jenrick says the UK "haven't ruled out" chartering repatriation fllghts to get people back.
He adds that the government is focused "100% on trying to save lives here".
Mr Jenrick brings today's briefing to a close.

What's happening in the US and Canada?

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a formal advisory on Saturday, asking residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to "refrain from nonessential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately".
There are at least 124,686 confirmed cases across the country, with 2,191 deaths. The United States overtook both China and Italy last week for number of reported cases.
On Sunday, top health official Dr Anthony Fauci estimated that 100,000 to 200,000 Americans would die due to the novel coronavirus, with "millions" of infections.
In Canada, there are 5,655 confirmed cases and 61 deaths.
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, says she has received the "all clear" from her physician after testing positive for Covid-19 on 12 March.

The test of the coming weeks

"Don’t expect to go to back normal life any time soon," was the message from today's UK government press conference.
And it’s not one any government would want to deliver.
At least another two weeks must pass before it will even know if its more stringent social distancing measures are having an effect.
The process of lifting them could take much longer, with some restrictions being in place, on-and-off, for six months.
But, the government tried to offer some reassurance on one of the biggest concerns raised in the outbreak so far.
Robert Jenrick reeled off a long list of protective equipment, running to the hundreds of millions, that he says has been delivered to the NHS frontline.
The coming weeks will certainly test if it is enough.

Italy deaths continue unabated

Italy recorded 756 new deaths in the past 24 hours - bringing the total to 10,779.

More on Italy's new figures

As we just reported, Italy recorded a further 756 new deaths over the past day. It brought the total there to almost 11,000, which is the most anywhere in the world.
But it also marked the second successive fall in the daily number of recorded deaths.
For context, there were 889 on Saturday and more than 900 on Friday.
More widely, the number of people who have tested positive for the virus in Italy rose on Sunday to 97,689 from a previous 92,472.
That is the lowest daily rise in new cases since Wednesday.
At least 13,030 people have recovered from the virus, officials said.

17:27

Key points from today's UK briefing

We have just been hearing from Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick and England's deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries.
Here are some of the key points from today's Downing Street briefing:

• Dr Harries set out a likely timeline on the impact on normal life in the UK
  

• She suggested it could be six months or longer before life returns to normal. But Dr Harries clarified: "This is not to say we would be in complete lockdown" that long
  
• She suggested there will be regular review throughout the next six months to see whether the UK can "gradually start lifting various interventions"
  

• She said it would be "quite dangerous" to revert completely to normal life after the UK's first three week review of current measures
  
• And in a sombre warning, she said experts were expecting the daily number of UK deaths to rise over the next week or two
  
• Mr Jenrick said that the first 50,000 food parcels to those who are most vulnerable would be sent out this week
  
• He said that protecting citizens overseas was a "top priority" and that ministers "haven't ruled out" chartering fllghts to get people back
  
• And he said the government "will not stop" in trying to get personal protective equipment to frontline NHS and social workers
  

Warnings over fake virus messages

Authorities in the UK and the US are warning against viral WhatsApp and Facebook messages with false attribution and misleading claims.
The messages claim to have inside information about secret plans and health service failures.
Officials in both countries are bracing for a rising wave of patients.
But one health authority in London was clear in its rebuttal of a widely-shared post. "We have not turned patients away from our hospitals, and we have not denied patients key treatment," it said.
Johns Hopkins University in the US has similarly denied that they are behind a viral post attributed to a physician at the university.
The post contains some useful advice, such as “wash your hands”. However it also includes details about the virus that are not scientifically proven – and which could be wrong.
Click here for our tips for how you can stop bad information like this going viral.

German state finance minister found dead

The finance minister for the central German state of Hesse has been found dead, police say.
The body of 54-year-old Thomas Schäfer was found on a railway line in town of Hochheim near Frankfurt on Saturday morning.
Investigators presume the CDU politician’s death was suicide based on the circumstances, police said in a statement.
Earlier this week, Mr Schäfer had announced state financial assistance for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic, German media reported.
In a video message, Hesse’s state premier Volker Bouffier reportedly alluded to the challenges Mr Schäfer was facingin dealing with the economic effects of the coronavirus crisis.
Other German politicians have expressed their shock at Mr Schäfer’s death, including CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

Syria confirms first death

Syria has confirmed its first death from coronavirus, according to the country's state media.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the conflict in Syria, which has killed over 380,000 people, has weakened the country's health system.
Just 64% of hospitals and 52% of primary healthcare centres that existed before 2011 are still functioning in the country.

Turkey footballing great Rustu hospitalised

Former Turkey goalkeeper Rustu Recber has been taken to hospital after testing positive for coronavirus.
Recber, 46, is Turkey's most capped player. He signed for Barcelona in 2003, but spent the majority of his career playing for Fenerbahce.
His wife, Isil, said she and her two children had tested negative for the virus, but her husband was in a "critical period."
"While everything was normal, we are still in shock by the sudden and rapidly developing symptoms," she wrote on Instagram.

Czech ministers row over elderly care

A row over the provision of coronavirus supplies in care homes has engulfed the Czech Republic's government.
On Friday, the government said cases of coronavirus had been reported in six homes for the elderly. It prompted unions to criticise the lack of protective equipment.
Over the weekend, health minister, Adam Vojtěch, and interior minister, Jan Hamáček, have been arguing on social media about who was responsible for distributing respirators and protective equipment to such facilities.
BBC Prague correspondent Rob Cameron said the row could develop into a major scandal, placing strain on the coalition government.
He reported that at one home for the elderly, the coronavirus had infected six staff and 20 residents, one of whom had died.
A similar case caused controversy Spain, where soldiers found elderly patients in retirement homes abandoned.
So far, there have been 2,697 confirmed infections and 13 deaths from coronavirus in the Czech Republic, figures show.

New York Governor: state cases surge by 7,195 overnight

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has reported 7,195 new Covid-19 cases across the state, bringing the total of New York cases to 59,513.
New York is now the heart of the US coronavirus outbreak, home to just under half the total cases across the country. As of Sunday, 965 death were linked to the virus across the state.
Nursing homes make up one quarter of these deaths, Cuomo said.
Cuomo said that 76,019 health workers have volunteered to help with the crisis as New York hospitals are pushed beyond capacity.
Naval hospital ship USNS Comfort is set to dock in New York on Monday, to assist with the state's overflow, providing 1,000 beds and federal officials to treat non-coronavirus patients.
The death count will continue to rise, but the "doubling rate is slowing", Cuomo said. "And that is good news."