Summary for Sunday, 19th April
In the latest headlines:
The National Care Forum (NCF) estimates that more than 4,000 elderly and disabled people have died across all residential and nursing homes.
Its report comes amid calls for accurate data on virus-linked deaths.
Only 217 such care home deaths have been officially recorded in England and Wales up to 3 April.
Separately, analysis from Care England, which represents large care home providers in England, claims that there have been 7,500 more deaths in care home - from all causes - in the last two weeks than would be expected at this time of year.
Mark Savage, the BBC's music reporter, stayed up late to watch the mammoth eight-hour concert.
He's written up a list of the nine things he noticed during Together at Home - including one star who didn't even make their bed for the occasion!
You can read more here
The Sunday Times reports a "crucial" five-week period was "lost" in the UK's fight against coronavirus, during which Mr Johnson missed high-level meetings to discuss Covid-19.
Separately it says ministers have drawn up a three-phase plan to lift the lockdown restrictions, which could see schools reopen as early as 11 May. Under the proposals, it says pupils would return to classes part-time - depending on their age - to aid social distancing.
The Sun on Sunday calls it a "traffic-light master plan", which would see non-essential shops reopen within three weeks as part of a "red phase", before some restaurants are allowed to operate a fortnight later in the "amber phase".
The minister tweeted on Sunday morning: "I can reassure schools and parents that they will only reopen when the scientific advice indicates it is the right time to do so."
Schools across the UK were closed last month to all pupils except the children of key workers, such as doctors, nurses and delivery drivers, some vulnerable children and those with more serious special educational needs.
"It would be wrong to get ahead of ourselves here," the senior minister told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, insisting the country must maintain the current measures until death rates begin to fall.
He said the facts and advice were "clear" that we should not be lifting the restrictions yet.
Captain Tom Moore originally aimed to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by completing 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden before his 100th birthday.
The veteran will appear via video link at the opening of the Nightingale hospital in Harrogate on Tuesday
He said it was an honour and a chance to thank NHS workers directly.
The Sunday Times reports that Boris Johnson missed five meetings of the emergency Cobra committee as the health crisis was looming and the government is accused of losing weeks in the fight against Covid-19.
The government is facing criticism over its preparedness for the crisis, over testing, the timing of the lockdown and personal protective equipment.
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told Sky there were aspects of the newspaper report that were "slightly off", and would not be drawn on accusations that the UK sent 266,000 pieces of protective equipment to China.
Shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, was damning of the senior minister's comments.
Mr Ashworth told Sky: "Michael Gove's line that one or two aspects of this story are off beam is possibly the weakest rebuttal of a detailed expose in British political history."
'We are not prepared at all': Haiti on the edge
With barely 60 ventilators for 11 million people, Haiti is the most vulnerable nation in the Americas to the coronavirus. While many countries would struggle to cope with a serious spread of Covid-19, Haiti might never recover from one.
Read more
Hudeidi: The Somali 'king of oud' who was felled by coronavirus
Ahmed Ismail Hussein Hudeidi, a founding father of modern Somali music, died in London after contracting coronavirus at the age of 91. The BBC's Mary Harper was a friend of his.
Whenever Hudeidi played his oud, it was impossible to keep still.
Bodies swayed, hands clapped and fingers snapped. His music was transporting and somehow possessed your whole being.
But there was even more to Hudeidi, or the "king of oud" as he was popularly known, than his sublime music.
He was a life force; warm, generous, humble and funny.
Read more
Now Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said he plans to relax the rule later this month so they can "get some fresh air".
It comes after Barcelona's mayor Ada Colau - herself a mother - pleaded with the government to change their stance.
Read more
Dr Chaand Nagpaul said doctors and other healthcare workers were treating colleagues in intensive care on ventilators and seeing them die.
"This is extremely emotionally taxing and it's showing its toll on the healthcare workforce," he told Sky.
He added: "At the beginning of the pandemic we were assured that we had sufficient stockpiles... and we believed that we were well catered for."
He said the government had been warned last weekend that there were "critically low shortages of full-length gowns".
The government has been criticised over a lack of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.
Healthcare workers have been advised to re-use gowns or wear different kit if stocks in England run low, raising concerns the new guidance could put hospital staff and patients at risk.
Most worshipers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa were urged not to attend Easter services because of the risk of spreading coronavirus.
Some were able to follow by watching television or online broadcasts.
Read more about how the festival is being marked around the world
Professor Sarah Gilbert, from Oxford University, said nobody had been immunised yet but her team had been given permission to start recruiting volunteers and hoped to start trials within the next few days.
She told the BBC's Andrew Marr: "We are waiting for the final safety tests to be done on the vaccine and the final approvals to be given."
She would not be drawn on who would receive any future vaccine first, adding: "We want to make it available across the world and we want to be able to make it available at a price that everybody can afford."
Prof Gilbert added that researchers needed support from the UK government to help accelerate manufacturing.
- UK minister Michael Gove has said it is too early to lift restrictions on movement in the UK
- Overnight, the One World: Together At Home show included more than 100 artists playing live from their homes
- The eight-hour event was run by the Global Citizen movement and the WHO was live-streamed and broadcast on TV
- Lady Gaga, who helped organise the concert, also performed
- At his White House briefing on Saturday evening, President Donald Trump praised the production of hospital goods in the US: "V for victory, V for ventilator!"
- Britain's Queen Elizabeth has asked that there be no gun salutes to mark her birthday on Tuesday
- As world coronavirus deaths pass 150,000, more than 4.5 billion people are under containment to slow the pandemic.
Welcome back
We'll be bringing you the latest breaking news and expert analysis about the coronavirus pandemic from around the world.In the latest headlines:
- Some of the biggest stars of the music and entertainment industry have joined together to perform a special concert to celebrate the work being done by healthcare workers around the world
- At a briefing on Saturday, President Donald Trump said China should face consequences if it is found they were “knowingly responsible" for the outbreak
- His comments came as further protests were held in some parts of the US by conservative activists. They want local lockdown measures to be relaxed, despite the growing outbreak and death toll
- Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, said he hopes to relax lockdown restrictions so that children kept indoors due to Covid-19 can “get some fresh air”
- According to Johns Hopkins University tracking, there are now more than 2.3m cases of coronavirus around the world and more than 160,000 deaths
UK care home deaths 'far higher' than official figures
New data has added to growing evidence that the number of deaths linked to coronavirus in UK care homes may be far higher than those recorded so far.The National Care Forum (NCF) estimates that more than 4,000 elderly and disabled people have died across all residential and nursing homes.
Its report comes amid calls for accurate data on virus-linked deaths.
Only 217 such care home deaths have been officially recorded in England and Wales up to 3 April.
Separately, analysis from Care England, which represents large care home providers in England, claims that there have been 7,500 more deaths in care home - from all causes - in the last two weeks than would be expected at this time of year.
The things we spotted during concert
Last night the World Health Organization and Global Citizen teamed up, with the help of pop superstar Lady Gaga, to pay tribute to healthcare staff working tirelessly during the coronavirus pandemic.Mark Savage, the BBC's music reporter, stayed up late to watch the mammoth eight-hour concert.
He's written up a list of the nine things he noticed during Together at Home - including one star who didn't even make their bed for the occasion!
You can read more here
'No 10 ignored warning' and 'PM takes back control' - UK papers
Many of Sunday's front pages focus on the UK's possible exit strategy from the coronavirus lockdown and the role of prime minister Bors Johnson,The Sunday Times reports a "crucial" five-week period was "lost" in the UK's fight against coronavirus, during which Mr Johnson missed high-level meetings to discuss Covid-19.
Separately it says ministers have drawn up a three-phase plan to lift the lockdown restrictions, which could see schools reopen as early as 11 May. Under the proposals, it says pupils would return to classes part-time - depending on their age - to aid social distancing.
The Sun on Sunday calls it a "traffic-light master plan", which would see non-essential shops reopen within three weeks as part of a "red phase", before some restaurants are allowed to operate a fortnight later in the "amber phase".
'No decision' to reopen UK schools
UK Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has said that "no decision" has been made as to when schools might reopen.The minister tweeted on Sunday morning: "I can reassure schools and parents that they will only reopen when the scientific advice indicates it is the right time to do so."
Schools across the UK were closed last month to all pupils except the children of key workers, such as doctors, nurses and delivery drivers, some vulnerable children and those with more serious special educational needs.
UK not thinking of lifting restrictions yet - Gove
Michael Gove has said that reports the UK is looking to gradually lift some lockdown restrictions, such as re-opening schools and allowing some small social gatherings, are "not correct"."It would be wrong to get ahead of ourselves here," the senior minister told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, insisting the country must maintain the current measures until death rates begin to fall.
He said the facts and advice were "clear" that we should not be lifting the restrictions yet.
Captain Tom guest at hospital opening after raising £25m
A 99-year-old war veteran who has raised more than £25m for the NHS is to be guest of honour at the opening of a new UK field hospital.Captain Tom Moore originally aimed to raise £1,000 for NHS Charities Together by completing 100 laps of his Bedfordshire garden before his 100th birthday.
The veteran will appear via video link at the opening of the Nightingale hospital in Harrogate on Tuesday
He said it was an honour and a chance to thank NHS workers directly.
UK government under fire for 'missed opportunities'
The UK government has been accused of missing a number of opportunities to lessen the impact of the coronavirus.The Sunday Times reports that Boris Johnson missed five meetings of the emergency Cobra committee as the health crisis was looming and the government is accused of losing weeks in the fight against Covid-19.
The government is facing criticism over its preparedness for the crisis, over testing, the timing of the lockdown and personal protective equipment.
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told Sky there were aspects of the newspaper report that were "slightly off", and would not be drawn on accusations that the UK sent 266,000 pieces of protective equipment to China.
Shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, was damning of the senior minister's comments.
Mr Ashworth told Sky: "Michael Gove's line that one or two aspects of this story are off beam is possibly the weakest rebuttal of a detailed expose in British political history."
'We are not prepared at all': Haiti on the edge
With barely 60 ventilators for 11 million people, Haiti is the most vulnerable nation in the Americas to the coronavirus. While many countries would struggle to cope with a serious spread of Covid-19, Haiti might never recover from one.
Read more
Hudeidi: The Somali 'king of oud' who was felled by coronavirus
Ahmed Ismail Hussein Hudeidi, a founding father of modern Somali music, died in London after contracting coronavirus at the age of 91. The BBC's Mary Harper was a friend of his.
Whenever Hudeidi played his oud, it was impossible to keep still.
Bodies swayed, hands clapped and fingers snapped. His music was transporting and somehow possessed your whole being.
But there was even more to Hudeidi, or the "king of oud" as he was popularly known, than his sublime music.
He was a life force; warm, generous, humble and funny.
Read more
Spanish children to 'get some fresh air'
Because of strict measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, Spanish children have been kept at home since 14 March.Now Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said he plans to relax the rule later this month so they can "get some fresh air".
It comes after Barcelona's mayor Ada Colau - herself a mother - pleaded with the government to change their stance.
Read more
UK doctors 'extremely worried' they are not protected
Doctors are "extremely worried" that they are not adequately protected, the chairman of the British Medical Association has said.Dr Chaand Nagpaul said doctors and other healthcare workers were treating colleagues in intensive care on ventilators and seeing them die.
"This is extremely emotionally taxing and it's showing its toll on the healthcare workforce," he told Sky.
He added: "At the beginning of the pandemic we were assured that we had sufficient stockpiles... and we believed that we were well catered for."
He said the government had been warned last weekend that there were "critically low shortages of full-length gowns".
The government has been criticised over a lack of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.
Healthcare workers have been advised to re-use gowns or wear different kit if stocks in England run low, raising concerns the new guidance could put hospital staff and patients at risk.
Orthodox Christians mark Easter
The world's Orthodox Christians are marking their holiest festival in a very different way this year.Most worshipers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa were urged not to attend Easter services because of the risk of spreading coronavirus.
Some were able to follow by watching television or online broadcasts.
Read more about how the festival is being marked around the world
Vaccine clinical trials to start within days
Scientists working on a coronavirus vaccine in Britain hope to start clinical trials towards the end of next week, the leader of the team has told the BBC.Professor Sarah Gilbert, from Oxford University, said nobody had been immunised yet but her team had been given permission to start recruiting volunteers and hoped to start trials within the next few days.
She told the BBC's Andrew Marr: "We are waiting for the final safety tests to be done on the vaccine and the final approvals to be given."
She would not be drawn on who would receive any future vaccine first, adding: "We want to make it available across the world and we want to be able to make it available at a price that everybody can afford."
Prof Gilbert added that researchers needed support from the UK government to help accelerate manufacturing.