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England and Scotland footballers donate match fees to NHS

The England men’s national football team have made a “significant donation” to the NHS, using match fees going back to September 2018.
It comes from a fund already in place for worthy causes.
The money will go to NHS Charities Together through the #PlayersTogether movement involving Premier League footballers.
The FA has not said how much the donation is or how much players get in match fees.
North of the border, Scotland’s men's and women's teams have also made a “substantial” NHS donation.

What did we learn from today's UK briefing?

Today's government press conference was led by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who was joined by Angela McLean, the deputy chief medical officer.
Here's what they told us:

• Criminal gangs, which are often linked to other state actors, have been attacking the cyber infrastructure of national and international organisations working against coronavirus. The government has issued advice on tackling these threats, as well as working to debunk misinformation
  
• The government is troubled by an increase in people using their cars and other vehicles
  
• There is strong evidence that being obese increases the chance of being seriously ill and needing intensive care treatment
  
• Just under 89,000 tests were carried out on Monday, meaning the government missed its 100,000 target
  

'Where's the beef?'

US businesses are experiencing meat shortages which have partly been driven by outbreaks at slaughterhouses.
Wendy's, the fast food chain that coined the slogan "Where's the beef?" as an insult to its competitors, has taken hamburgers off the menus at nearly 20% of its restaurants.
"Some of our menu items may be in short supply from time to time at some restaurants in this current environment,'' Wendy's said in a statement to Restaurant Business.
"We expect this to be temporary, and we're working diligently to minimise the impact to our customers and restaurants."
Costco is also limiting sales of pork, beef and poultry to three packages per shopping trip.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there have been more than 5,000 confirmed infections at 115 meat processing plants across 19 states.

New York City subway to close overnight for first time in history

New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Administration (MTA) plans to shut down the city's subway system from 01:00 to 05:00 on Wednesday morning for disinfecting.
Service will resume each day, but on a truncated schedule for the first time in the subway's 115-year history. Buses will be free during that time.
It comes amid a 90% drop in riders, but a large uptick in homeless people who have essentially moved onto railcars.
"Our customers should not have to board a car that’s being used as a shelter," acting New York City Transit President Sarah Feinberg said last week.
Starting at 01:00 the city’s 472 subway stations will become exit-only and thousands of NYPD officers will flood the system to force out anyone remaining on trains and platforms.
At his daily news conference New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said normal service would resume when "the pandemic is not problematic".
"You tell me when the global pandemic is over and I’ll tell you when 24-hour service resumes," he told one reporter.
Cuomo added that the state had seen 230 Covid-related deaths in past 24 hours, up from 226 on Sunday.

Baseball starts in South Korea - without fans

South Korea's baseball league started on Tuesday in front of no fans.
It is one of the world's biggest sport leagues to return during the coronavirus pandemic. The country's football league kicks off on Friday.
Players and coaches were checked for fever on their way into the grounds. Umpires and some coaches wore masks and players could not high five team-mates without gloves.
Cheerleaders were still active - although to empty stands. Some pictures of fans were placed in seats.
The league will be suspended for three weeks if any player catches coronavirus.

Lawsuits from parents hit shuttered US universities

Parents of a student in Washington DC have filed a class-action lawsuit against George Washington University, one of the priciest private universities in the country, alleging that the closure of the campus merits a refund.
“Despite sending students home and closing its campuses, Defendant continues to charge for tuition and fees as if nothing has changed, continuing to reap the financial benefit of millions of dollars from students,” the complaint states.
The father of the female student adds that he's observed a decline in "academic rigour" since virtual learning began from home.
The lawsuit follows similar complaints at Boston University, Brown University, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Chicago.

When will it be safe to fly again?

The images of a nearly full flight from Belfast to London yesterday have shocked many.
Most of us are not even thinking about flying at the moment. Between 16 and 22 April, the number of air passengers coming into the UK was 99% lower than for the same period in 2019.
But we will want to travel again in the future - so when will it be safe to fly?
Some airlines say they will keep middle seats free in the future - but others say that is not possible.
And what about the air circulation in the plane? Is that safe? What can airports change to make things safer?
We've tried to answer some of these questions and more here.

Empty terminals and no queues

Ed Habershon - BBC News
What strikes you most is just how grim the nature of air travel has become. Gone are the traditional travel tribes - the hen and stag groups, the relaxed-looking couples, the boisterous families, the lone backpackers. Most people I spoke to are just trying to get home.
I needed permission from the Spanish government - where I'm travelling for work - to fly, and was questioned quite seriously about it. It’s no longer light-hearted fun.
The terminal I went through at Heathrow was practically empty, and felt even more cavernous than usual. There were no bars, cafes, restaurants or children’s play areas open, just a newsagent and a chemist.
What also stands out is how almost everyone is wearing a mask, conspicuous given how few do in the UK.
One bonus is that there's hardly any queuing. With just 25 flights leaving that day though, perhaps it’s no surprise.
Social distancing is easy with so few people in the airport - but that is not the case on the plane. The narrow aisle funnels passengers as it always has, and it’s difficult to stay away from anyone.
Once the plane landed and the seat-belt sign went off, it was as if coronavirus didn’t exist - most people just joined the fight to get their bags back, and stood bunched together waiting to get off.
It’s hard to see how air travel will ever return to normal. Planes feel more confined than ever, and airports already feel like outdated, cavernous monuments to the heady, freewheeling travel of the past.

Fourteen deaths at Northern Ireland care home

Fourteen people from the same care home in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, have died from coronavirus-related symptoms, the BBC has learned.
The patients were residents of Glenabbey Manor in Glengormley.
However, as there is no clear breakdown of figures relating to deaths or confirmed cases in individual care homes, it is not clear whether Glenabbey is the worst affected in Northern Ireland.
It has also emerged at least 109 homes in Northern Ireland are coping with the virus or flu-like symptoms.
Read more here

When will UK schools return?

It's a question a lot of adults and children have been asking - but when will pupils start to go back to school in the UK?
While the government is due to announce its roadmap to end the lockdown on Sunday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said he believes opening all schools at once would create a "very real risk" of infections rising.
"At least to date the evidence has been that we wouldn't be able to open up all schools without a very real risk that the R rate - the transmission rate - would rise at such a level that we would risk a second spike," he said at Tuesday's Downing Street briefing, adding that the government would continue to follow scientific advice.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, meanwhile, has warned that opening all primary schools in Scotland at once could "overwhelm the NHS," saying that a return before summer holidays there begin in June may not be possible.
In England and Wales, there has been speculation that schools could start to return in June, although this has not been confirmed. In Northern Ireland, First Minister Arlene Foster said in March that the closures would last into the summer.

Obama to host virtual graduation ceremony

Former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle will host a prime-time televised graduation ceremony for high school seniors who have been stuck at home during the pandemic.
"Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020" will air on all major US networks on 16 May.
It will feature celebrities such as basketballer LeBron James, youth education activist Malala Yousafzai, pop stars the Jonas Brothers, and US soccer player Megan Rapinoe.
Then on 6 June, the Obamas will take part in a YouTube event called "Dear Class of 2020". They will each "deliver separate commencement addresses" and "a joint message to students," according to a statement from Obama's office.
The announcement of the events comes after students across the country asked Obama to speak virtually to their graduating class, making #ObamaCommencement2020 trend on Twitter.

Can you compare the UK with Italy?

Reality Check


The UK has now overtaken Italy to have the highest number of officially recorded coronavirus deaths in Europe.
The figures - announced by both governments daily - show a total of 29,427 deaths in the UK and 29,315 in Italy.
But can you make a fair comparison between the two countries?
There are challenges around doing this at the moment, so we've taken a look at some of the factors to consider.
Read more here.

Trump trip doubles as campaign reboot

Anthony Zurcher - BBC North America reporter
In the best of times, US presidents seeking re-election have a vast array of tools at their disposal to boost their electoral prospects. The ability to criss-cross the nation on Air Force One, to command media attention and to campaign with the trappings of the highest office in the land makes for a very powerful political advantage.
These are, of course, not the best of times in the US. After weeks spent largely in the confines of the White House, however, Donald Trump is starting to once again test the powers and privileges of the presidency on the campaign trail.
On Sunday, thanks to a waiver granted from his interior secretary, the president conducted a television interview inside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Now he’s travelling to Arizona and Ohio – two pivotal presidential battleground states – for “official” visits that will double as political appearances.
With just under six months before election day, Trump essentially has to reboot his presidential campaign. Because of the financial devastation brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, his planned pitch for re-election – that he will steward over continued economic prosperity – has become untenable. Now his appeal to the nation is that he is best positioned to oversee the recovery.
Recent polls suggest it will be a challenging task – but it wouldn’t be the first time this president has overcome the odds.

Doctor MP says 'government's lack of testing has cost lives

Labour MP Dr Rosena Allin-Khan has criticised the government for its testing strategy, saying it has "cost lives".
The shadow health minister has been doing A&E shifts at a London hospital during the coronavirus outbreak.
She questioned the health secretary in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
Matt Hancock responded by saying there had been "a rapid acceleration in testing over the last few months".
Hancock added she "might do well to take a leaf out of" the shadow health secretary's book "in terms of tone".
That prompted Allin-Khan to later tweet she would not "watch her tone" when challenging the government.

UK top scientific adviser quits

Professor Neil Ferguson has quit his role as a government adviser after breaking social distancing rules.
"I accept I made an error of judgement and took the wrong course of action," Prof Ferguson of Imperial College London said.
"I have therefore stepped back from my involvement in Sage," he said referring to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.
"I deeply regret any undermining of the clear messages around the continued need for social distancing to control this devastating epidemic."
Prof Ferguson was instrumental in persuading the UK government to impose a lockdown last month.

Canadians fined for coronavirus infractions

An academic project has found that Canadians have been fined over C$5m ($3.6m, £2.9m) for coronavirus-related infractions.
Policing the Pandemic is a mapping project launched by two Canadian researchers tracking instances where citizens were ticketed, charged and/or arrested for Covid-19 related violations, such as breaking social distancing rules or mandated self-isolation.
It has not been peer reviewed.
Alex Luscombe, a PhD student at the University of Toronto and Alexander McClelland, found that more than 4,500 people have been ticketed or charged on separate occasions for these offenses.
Enforcing social distancing rules has become a hot topic of debate in Canada and elsewhere. Many are in favour of fines for people breaking the rules. But civil liberties organisations have warned that the pandemic has led to an unprecedented increase in police powers, and that marginalised people are more likely to be targeted.

Japan begins clinical trials on potential coronavirus treatment

Rachel Schraer - BBC Health Reporter
Fujifilm is better known for its cameras, but the Japanese company has begun clinical trials of a drug called favipiravir (marketed as Avigan) for the treatment of Covid-19.
It’s an anti-viral drug which can interrupt the machinery viruses use to replicate, and it’s approved for the treatment of flu in Japan – although it’s not commonly used.
These trials have not yet reported back so we don’t know whether it will prove effective in treating this coronavirus. It has been shown to stop the virus, SARS-CoV-2, from replicating in a culture in the lab, so it’s thought to have potential. But that’s no guarantee that the same effect will be seen in humans. It didn’t perform as well as Remdesivir - which has been authorised for emergency use in the US - at the laboratory stage.
There are also concerns about the drug because it’s been linked to birth defects if taken during pregnancy. It seems to share some structural similarities with thalidomide.
If it were to get to the stage of being used in humans – a big if – there would have to be strict safety checks and it wouldn’t be suitable during pregnancy, puberty or childhood, according to Dr Stephen Griffin, a professor of medicine at the University of Leeds.

Concern as child vaccinations drop in Portugal

Alison Roberts - Portugal Correspondent, Lisbon
The number of vaccines administered in Portugal last month was almost half those given in April 2019, despite warnings to new parents stressing the need for immunisation against serious diseases during the coronavirus pandemic.
In April a total of 247,810 doses of vaccine were given, down 48% from 473,057 in the same month last year, Portugal's national health service said.
Health officials have stressed that vaccines administered in the first year of life offer protection against 11 potentially serious illnesses, including measles and mumps, and should not be delayed.
The World Health Organization has also stressed the need to ensure the pandemic does not undermine programmes to vaccinate children against diseases such as polio or measles, warning that these could re-emerge as major threats.
Portugal has had 25,702 confirmed coronavirus infections and 1,074 deaths, according to its national health authority. A total of 1,743 people are deemed to have recovered.

Police investigate KKK hood worn at US grocery store

Police in San Diego County are investigating an incident in which a shopper wore a white hood symbolising membership in the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) hate group to a grocery store in order to comply with a mandatory facemask policy.
The incident took place on Saturday, one day after local health officials ordered masks to be worn by residents whenever they are in public.

  :tweet:   :Left Quotes: Tammy Gillies:
Don’t know which angers me more - the person wearing this or the fact that no one in management @Vons Santee did anything about it. ⁦@ADL_SD⁩ would be happy to educate your team. San Diego is #NoPlaceForHate

A spokeswoman for the Vons grocery chain said the shopper had been asked by employees to remove the racist hood, but he refused until he had reached the checkout line.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Monday that they were not called to the scene on Saturday but are now investigating whether criminal charges are warranted.

Flouting your own rules

As mentioned, Professor Neil Ferguson has quit his role advising the government on coronavirus after admitting "undermining" the messages on social distancing rules.
Prof Ferguson leads the team at Imperial College London and their research claimed more than 500,000 Britons would die because of Covid-19 if no measures were taken, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson then introducing a lockdown in Britain on 23 March.
Prof Ferguson's departure comes after the Daily Telegraph reported he had allowed a woman to visit him.
He is not the first medical expert to have left their position after breaching the rules they were asking other Britons to observe. On 6 April, Scotland's chief medical officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, resigned after making two trips to her second home during the lockdown.

'Too beautiful to be destroyed by cars'

Guy De Launey, BBC Balkans Correspondent
The mayor of Kosovo's capital, Pristina, says he wants the city's drastic reduction in traffic to become permanent.
The number of cars has fallen dramatically because of emergency restrictions to tackle Covid-19.
Shpend Ahmeti described Pristina as "too beautiful to be destroyed by cars”. He said the city authorities would implement measures including road pricing, more expensive parking and both permanent and temporary road closures.

How coronavirus is affecting sport - latest updates

Premier League side Crystal Palace have cancelled a summer trip to take part in the Queensland Champions Cup in Australia - a competition they had been hoping to play in as preparation for the 2020-21 football season.
World number one golfer Rory McIlroy has said he would rather the Ryder Cup was postponed until 2021 than be held this year without fans. The event - played between Europe and the United States every two years - is scheduled to take place at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin from 22-27 September.
The Professional Darts Corporation has cancelled its May and June events, including the World Cup of Darts, which was meant to be held in Hamburg, Germany from 18-21 June, although it may be rescheduled for later in the year.
In horse racing, this year’s Galway Festival in the Republic of Ireland will be staged behind closed doors, if it goes ahead as planned in July.

Little Mix and Westlife cancel summer tours

Little Mix and Westlife have both announced the cancellations of their summer tours because of the coronavirus.
Girl band Little Mix were due to begin a month-long tour of UK stadiums on 26 June.
They said they had made the decision "following the latest government advice" and added that the health and safety of fans and crew was their "number one priority".
The recently reformed Irish boyband Westlife were also due to tour in June and July.
“Those who have been on the Westlife journey with us know how important performing is to us, but also know that safety must come first and foremost in delivering a successful tour,” a statement said.
Westlife said their show at London’s Wembley Stadium in August may still go ahead.

Students 'should be able to retake the year'

Katherine Sellgren - BBC News education reporter
UK students should be given the option to retake or be reimbursed for this academic year, the National Union of Students (NUS) says.
The NUS is also calling for a student hardship fund to help those who are struggling.
The union says a survey of nearly 10,000 student union members shows 81% are worried about their future job prospects and 95% are concerned about the impact of Covid-19 on the economy.
The government says it understands this is a difficult time for students.

Third of Scotland's Covid-19 deaths in care homes

About one in three of every coronavirus-linked deaths in Scotland so far have happened in care homes, new figures show.
The latest data released weekly by the National Records of Scotland
show Covid-19 had been mentioned on the death certificates of 1,616 people by 19 April.
Of these deaths, 537 were in care homes, while more than half (910) occurred in hospitals.
The numbers differ from those released daily by the Scottish government, which do not include deaths outside of hospitals.
Equivalent figures were released for England and Wales by the Office for National Statistics on Tuesday.
Read more about the latest Scottish figures here

'Large scale' contact tracing in UK via app, says minister

A planned app will mean the UK government can conduct "large scale" contact tracing, once cases have fallen further, the health secretary has said.
The UK has already confirmed plans to launch the app. It will warn users if they have recently been near someone suspected to have coronavirus.
Matt Hancock told MPs the "NHS app" will be optimised if more people sign up to it when it goes live.
Mr Hancock also told people with non-coronavirus symptoms who need medical advice that they must still contact their GP. "The NHS is there for you," he added.
It comes after reports that people have been avoiding seeking medical treatment due to the risk of being infected with Covid-19

Chinese city near Russian border imposes lockdown

Kerry Allen - BBC Monitoring, Chinese Media Analyst
A Chinese city near the Russian border has now “imposed a lockdown on all residential communities and villages”, according to the national Global Times newspaper.
The city of Harbin, which has a population of 10 million people, is implementing strict measures today, similar to those imposed on the central city of Wuhan during the early stages of the Covid-19 outbreak in January.
Media are widely reporting that Harbin’s government has prohibited non-locals, and any vehicles without local licence plates, from entering the city.
Communities and villages have also been instructed to guard compounds, and to ensure that anybody entering or leaving can prove that they are healthy.
Residents must not go out without a mask, and they are now being told they must comply with temperature checks.
Global Times says that residents are encouraged to report any known returnees who fail to comply with these procedures.
It says they should be electronically monitored.
There are currently 52 confirmed cases in Harbin.
Yesterday, state media reported that 4,106 people had recently been screened for the virus, after two clusters of Covid-19 infections were discovered at hospitals there.
These have been traced back to a Chinese student who returned from New York in mid-March.

China labels Missouri lawsuit 'absurd'

China has responded to a new lawsuit filed against it by the US state of Missouri.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt unveiled the lawsuit on Tuesday, accusing the Chinese government of lying to the world about coronavirus. He said they "did little to stop the spread of the disease" and "must be held accountable for their actions".
A spokesman for China's foreign ministry denounced the move on Wednesday, saying the "frivolous lawsuit has no factual or legal basis".
"Really absurd. Based on the principle of sovereign equality, US courts have NO jurisdiction over the Chinese government," he said.

• Read more: Missouri sues Chinese government over virus handling
  

Some English football leagues end season

Football clubs in the National League - the fifth tier of English football - and the National League North and the National League South - the sixth tier - have voted to end the 2019-20 season at its current point.
The league said there was a "clear majority of clubs in favour", although it is unclear what will happen regarding teams being promoted and relegated.
The Premier League - English football's top level - and the EFL - consisting of the Championship, League One and League Two - are all trying to complete their current seasons fully.
Premier League leaders Liverpool are 25 points clear at the top of the table and need to win two of their final nine matches to become English champions for the first time since 1990.

Footballers compete in e-tournament to raise money for NHS

Football may have been suspended in the UK but players are still competing against each other while at home.
A number of top players, plus musicians Tom Grennan and Josh Franceschi, are competing in the ePremier League Invitational - a tournament played on video game Fifa 20.
The tournament is being streamed on the BBC Sport website and the prize fund is being donated to the #PlayersTogether initiative, which was created by Premier League players to raise funds for the NHS.
Earlier on Wednesday, Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling beat Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha 5-4.

What is the WHO's position on masks?

There's been a lot of debate on whether healthy people should be wearing masks at the moment, and many places around the world have now either made it compulsory or issued advisories. Germany, for instance, has become the latest country to urge people to wear masks in public. But what is the official advice from the World Health Organization? After a recent meeting to discuss the issue, it still maintains that medical masks should be reserved only for healthcare workers and not for the general public.
In the UK, hospital bosses have warned that supplies of face masks for the NHS could be put at risk if the government started advising the public to wear them.

UK death toll rises

A further 759 people have died with coronavirus across UK hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus as of 17:00 BST on Tuesday, government figures show.
It takes the total number to 18,100.
These figures do not include deaths in the community, in places such as care homes.
In England, daily figures show a further 665 people who tested positive for Covid-19 have died in hospitals. The NHS England update takes the total to 16,272.
In Scotland, latest figures released earlier showed the daily death toll increased by 77, taking the total number of hospital deaths to 1,062.
In Wales, another 15 hospital deaths have been reported, taking the total number to 624.
Wednesday's update has not yet been released for Northern Ireland.
To find out more on deaths in the community, tap here for England and Wales and here for Scotland.

German vaccine set for human testing

A possible vaccine for Covid-19, developed by German firm BioNTech and US drug giant Pfizer, has been given the green light for human testing.
The trial will begin with 200 healthy people, aged between 18 and 55, being given the vaccine.
"This is a good sign that the development of a vaccine in Germany is so progressed that we can start with the first studies," the country's health minister, Jens Spahn, said Wednesday. "At the same time the advice remains important that it will take months. This is an injection in the body. Safety first is the guideline for such a vaccine."
Only a handful of vaccine candidates have been approved for clinical testing on humans globally, and experts caution that it will take at least a year for a viable vaccine to be developed.
Scientists at the UK's Oxford University are starting human trials of a possible vaccine this week. Other clinical trials are taking place in the US and China.

• Read more: When will we have a vaccine?
  

If you're just joining us...

Good morning to our readers in the US and Canada, and a particularly warm welcome if you're joining us in lockdown.
Here are some of the headlines in North America to get you up to speed:

• The head of the CDC has warned that the US could experience a second wave of the virus that's even worse than the first, which would put "unimaginable strain" on the country's healthcare system
  
• The US state of Missouri is suing China over its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, arguing that it's led to severe economic losses. China's foreign ministry denounced the move, saying the "frivolous lawsuit has no factual or legal basis"
  
• US President Donald Trump justified halting immigration by saying he wanted to put Americans "first in line for jobs" when the country reopened (Critics say he is trying to distract attention away from his response to the virus.)
  
• Canada's chief public health officer said the country was still a "way off" from recovering from the virus, but praised Canadians' "sacrifices and every day inconveniences" that have "prevented an explosive outbreak" like those seen in other countries
  
• As of this morning, 45,075 people have died of the virus in the US and there have been 825,306 confirmed cases. In Canada, 1,915 people have died and there have been 39,405 confirmed cases, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University
  

Doctors raise concern over UK's coronavirus advice

Dozens of doctors have raised questions about how long the UK advises those with Covid-19 symptoms to self-isolate.
Government guidance
says people should stay at home and avoid contact with others for seven days if they develop symptoms.
That's a much shorter timeframe than that suggested by the World Health Organization.
A group of 25 doctors have written to the Health Secretary Matt Hancock about their concerns.
Read more here.

British army general to join UK briefing

Today’s UK government press conference will take place in about an hour’s time from Downing Street.
Fresh from standing in for PM Boris Johnson in the House of Commons, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will be leading the briefing.
Today, he’ll be joined by the UK government’s chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty, also a familiar face at these events.
But for the first time, we'll also be hearing from Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter, the UK’s most senior military officer.

First US death came weeks earlier than thought

A post-mortem in California has revealed the first US death related to the coronavirus came weeks earlier than previously thought.
A death in Seattle, Washington state, on 26 February was originally believed to be the first in the country.
But two people who died on 6 and 17 February in Santa Clara Country, California, have now been shown to have had Covid-19.
At the time, national criteria restricted testing only to people with a known travel history and who were showing specific symptoms.
The county coroner's statement said "we anticipate additional deaths from Covid-19 will be identified" as investigations continue.
Read the full story here.

Second home fears rise in Wales

Felicity Evans - BBC Wales political editor
A group of senior doctors from across Wales has written an open letter to Wales' first minister and health minister calling on them to make second home use unlawful during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Tourism and holiday home use facilitate non-essential movement into rural areas, increasing the population and thus placing additional pressures on local health and emergency services," the letter said.
First Minister Mark Drakeford has said that his government was looking at strengthening regulations on people travelling to second homes and that he would give more details by the end of the week.
Read more from Felicity here.

The UK picture

We're expecting to hear from the UK government in the next 30 minutes or so, but let’s take a look at the latest from the country first:

• A total of 18,100 people hospitalised with coronavirus have now died in the UK, up 759 from yesterday’s total
  
• Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab insisted a target for 100,000 daily tests by the end of this month would be met
  
• New figures suggest coronavirus deaths in care homes in England could have doubled in five days
  
• A delayed delivery of personal protective equipment (PPE) from Turkey has arrived in the UK and is being inspected
  

All German states back face mask use

All 16 German states have announced plans to make face masks compulsory, as the country slowly reduces its lockdown restrictions.
The rules will differ slightly from state to state. Mask use will however be mandatory on public transport throughout the country, and nearly all states will also make people wear face coverings when shopping.
You can read more about the plans here.
Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has confirmed 145,694 cases and recorded 4,879 deaths in total.

Have we passed the peak?

Robert Cuffe - BBC head of statistics
In the UK there have been 18,100 deaths from coronavirus in hospital, and a daily death toll of 759, according to figures from the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).
The pattern in these data is one of gradual, bumpy decline from a peak of 980 deaths reported in one day, on April 10th.
The peaks and troughs are exacerbated by reporting lags, especially at weekends.
The picture of decline is further supported by NHS England’s analysis of deaths on the day they actually occur – this shows a rise to a peak in the week before Easter and a gradual decline since then. Both the rise and fall are smoother than for the daily DHSC figures.
These figures are mainly for hospitals, and it is possible that the picture in the community or in care homes may follow a slightly different pattern. So we can’t yet say we’ve passed the peak without caveats.
Even when we can, the international pattern has not been one of rapid declines - as you can see in the chart below - but a gradual deceleration.

'Church' ordered to stop selling bleach as coronavirus cure

A Florida judge has ordered a self-described church to stop selling a product that includes a bleaching agent, and which it claims will treat coronavirus.
The Genesis II Church of Health and Healing marketed the product as cure for everything from cancer to coronavirus.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that it was a combination of sodium chlorite and water, which when mixed according to the directions on the package, becomes chlorine dioxide - a powerful bleaching agent.
Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt said: "The Department of Justice will take swift action to protect consumers from illegal and potentially harmful products being offered to treat Covid-19."
There is no cure or vaccine for the coronavirus.

15:45

Coming up - UK government briefing

The UK government's daily press briefing on the coronavirus will start in about 15 minutes, and we might well see more questions over the country's lockdown "exit strategy".
Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has said the government needs to "bring the British people into its confidence" over how it plans to end the lockdown.
Sir Iain said the government had been right to introduce and extend restrictions but that the effect was being seen sooner than expected.
On Thursday, it was announced the restrictions would remain in place for at least another three weeks.

Analysis: UK local authorities feel the pressure amid lockdown

Nick Eardley - Political correspondent
The strain on local authorities is another example of the huge economic impact of the shutdown.
Just as they face extra pressure on social care and caring for the vulnerable, funding from leisure centres and parking is drying up.
We’ve heard council leaders warn they will have to cut back key services without more cash – that’s what today is designed to avoid.
The government has announced an additional £1.6bn to support councils.
But some are already warning it’s another sticking plaster – and that more will need to come later.

Global artists perform in global music event

The One World: Together At Home music show is into the third of its eight hours. It will feature 100 artists singing in several different languages.
Puerto Rican Luis Fonsi, widely known for the summer classic Despacito, Honk Kong's Eason Chan, Indian-American Lisa Mishra and Emirati Hussain Al Jassmi have already performed .
Sir Elton John, Rolling Stones and Billie Eilish are coming up. Lady Gaga, who helped organise the concert, will also perform.
The event run by the Global Citizen movement and the World Health Organization (WHO) is being live-streamed and broadcast on TV.

More protests calling for end of lockdown across US

There are planned protests across the US as people call for the end of lockdown measures in several states.
The curbs, which include stay-at-home orders, are needed to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Facebook pages are calling for gatherings in Maryland, Wisconsin, Virginia and Pennsylvania. It is unclear how many people will attend. The four groups have more than 100,000 members combined.
Earlier this week thousands attended a demonstration in Michigan, which appears to have inspired the protests.
So far demonstrations against the shutdown have also been held in Ohio, North Carolina, Minnesota, Utah, Virginia and Kentucky.
President Donald Trump has been criticised for appearing to endorse the protests. In a series of tweets, he wrote: "LIBERATE MINNESOTA", "LIBERATE MICHIGAN" and then "LIBERATE VIRGINIA".

New York governor: 'A terrible experience'

At his daily briefing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the number of Covid-19 patients in the state continued to fall. There were 16,967 people being treated in hospitals, compared with 17,316 a day earlier.
Some 540 people died on Friday, the lowest daily tally in more than two weeks. But 2,000 new patients were admitted to hospital, which was "sobering".
While there was some positive news, he said it did not mean "happy days" were here again. Testing was a critical issue: "The more you test, the more information, the more you can reopen society," he said.
Mr Cuomo cautioned that infections could increase if the economy was reopened too fast.
"At every level this is a terrible experience,” he said. He added that it was no time for politics. The situation will get worse "if you politicise this emotion”.

In Lombardy, 'five times more killed' than by WW2 bombs

A sobering remark by Italy's special commissioner for the coronavirus emergency, Domenico Arcuri.
He said Italy's northern Lombardy region had now suffered more than five times the deaths seen from bombing in Milan during World War Two, when 2,000 civilians lost their lives between June 1940 and May 1945.
Another 482 deaths have been reported in Italy in the past 24 hours, including 199 in Lombardy, where Milan is the capital. So Lombardy has now seen over 12,000 deaths, more than half Italy's toll of 23,227.
The numbers are coming down every day, however. There are now 2,733 people in intensive care.
"We're going through a great tragedy. We've managed to confront it but we haven't yet beaten it," said Mr Arcuri.

Cuomo criticises protesters calling for end to lockdown

Here are the main takeaways from New York governor Andrew Cuomo's daily coronavirus update.

• He said there have been 2,000 new cases admitted to hospitals. "That is still an overwhelming number every day."
  
• Cuomo reserved his criticism for protesters who have been gathering this week to call for the country to reopen. "Everyone wants to reopen," he said. "You don’t have to hold up a placard saying it. The tension is how fast can you reopen without raising the infection rate."
  
• Asked about President Trump's tweets which appeared to endorse protests against lockdown measures, Cuomo said "no-one should inject politics," but added: "I think the president... is right that it’s different in different places."
  
• He shied away from backing calls to reopen parts of New York state which are less affected than others. "You could create unintended consequences," he said.
  

Premier League players to compete in Fifa game

They are more used to competing against each other in the best arenas in England, but Premier League players - including Manchester City's Raheem Sterling and Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold - will substitute the pitch for their own living rooms next week to raise funds for the National Health Service.
The inaugural ePremier League Invitational knockout tournament will see club representatives test their dexterity in Fifa 20 video game duels.
The prize fund will be donated to the #PlayersTogether initiative created by league players to help the NHS.
Fans can watch the action on the Premier League website.

France coronavirus deaths rise to over 19,000

French authorities say 364 people have died in the last 24 hours after contracting coronavirus, bringing the national total to 19,323.
The number of confirmed cases in the country has also risen to nearly 112,000.
But in a positive development, France's health ministry says the number of people being treated in intensive care units has fallen for a 10th consecutive day.

UK paramedic dies after contracting virus

A UK paramedic has died after contracting coronavirus, says the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS).
"This will deeply affect many people within the trust and we are supporting our staff during this very sad time," said the NWAS, which services north-west England.  It said they had lost a "very dear colleague" who had worked for the trust for a "considerable number of years". The unnamed paramedic was married with children.
As of 16 April, the government said there had been 27 verified deaths of National Health Service staff during the pandemic. But others, including retired staff who still worked within the NHS, have also died.
At Saturday's Downing Street briefing, Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick said the UK death toll, which has now risen above 15,000, was "heartbreaking".

Spain to ease confinement of children

Ever since Spain's prime minister imposed nationwide restrictions on movement on 14 March, children have had to stay indoors. It is among the strictest lockdowns in Europe with only adults allowed out to visit their nearest supermarket or pharmacy or for essential work.
The country has seen 20,000 deaths in one of the biggest outbreaks of Covid-19 in the world.
Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau pleaded with the government this week with the message: "Free our children."
Now PM Pedro Sánchez has given children some hope. From 27 April he has said children will be allowed outside but the measure is stlil being finalised and may involve under-12s only.

If you're just joining us...

A warm welcome from all of us at BBC News. As Europe begins to wake up, let's have a look at what's been going on so far:

• in Australia, police are investigating why passengers from the Ruby Princess were allowed to disembark although many of them were later discovered to be carrying the virus
  
• India has seen its highest spike yet with almost 800 new cases in the past day
  
• Over in the US, New York state has seen its biggest daily death toll of almost 800 people and the governor has ordered flags to fly at half-mast. Reported deaths across the US now exceed 14,600 - the highest after Italy
  
• South Korea and New Zealand meanwhile continue to see their number of new cases decline
  
• China reported two deaths in Hubei province while there were 63 new confirmed cases - 61 of which were imported
  
• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care but his condition is "improving"
  

Asian shares up on recovery outlook

Most share markets in Asia rose on Thursday on hopes that massive global economic stimulus and waning coronavirus infections in a US hotspot will lead to an economic rebound in the second quarter of this year.Australia's S&P/ASX 200 jumped 1.81%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was up 0.50% and the Shanghai Composite index rose 0.26%.
But Japan's Nikkei 225 bucked the trend, easing 0.55% in morning trade after the government this week declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and other urban areas related to the spread of the coronavirus."There are signs that infections are peaking, which is leading to the change in market sentiment," Masayuki Kichikawa, from Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management in Tokyo, told Reuters.The upbeat view for a rebound came as New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo said the financial capital of New York City was witnessing a flattening curve of cases as social distancing measures were working.

Afghan families returning home spark concerns

Abdul Maez Mohammadi was working construction in Iran, but when the Covid-19 crisis hit he decided to gather his family and go home to Afghanistan.
He is among hundreds of thousands of Afghans who have made the same decision in recent days in an unprecedented migration from Iran and Pakistan - two of the worst-hit countries.
Some may have had a basic temperature check, but very few of these people will be quarantined on arrival.
At border crossings, authorities have been overwhelmed and there are reports documents are not even being checked anymore.
Aid agencies and NGOs are warning this could lead to a dramatic rise in Afghanistan's transmission rate - something the war-ravaged and poverty-stricken nation would likely not be able to cope with.
Read more here.

India turns trains into isolation wards

ndia is preparing for a potential surge in Covid-19 patients by tapping into an unusual resource: its trains, which power the world’s fourth biggest rail network.
“We, at the railways, thought: how can we contribute?” spokesman Rajesh Bajpai told the BBC. “So we came up with this idea and everyone liked it.”
Work has already begun to convert 5,000 coaches into quarantine or isolation wards which will eventually provide some 40,000 beds. And the railway ministry says it’s prepared to convert 15,000 more coaches.
Click here to read our full story on this.

Trump pins blame on WHO

Facing growing criticism over his handling of this crisis, President Trump is now seeking to pin the blame for the spread of the coronavirus on the World Health Organization (WHO).
Officials at the UN agency criticised his decision to impose a ban on travellers entering the US from China at the end of January - a move the president has since touted as crucial to controlling the spread of the virus. With conservative commentators and some Senate Republicans taking to the airwaves to denounce the Geneva-based body, Trump has clearly decided it would be politically expedient to join them.
He sees the WHO as being biased towards China, and believes it was too unquestioning of the early information about Covid-19 that came from the Chinese.
Although the WHO is not above criticism - particularly for its early assertion that human transmission had not been proven, and its reticence later on to declare a pandemic - even some of the president’s leading supporters are questioning the timing of his threat to withhold funding for the world’s leading health organisation - coming, as it does, at the height of a global pandemic.
You can read more about this story here.

If you're just joining us in the UK...

Good morning - if you've just got out of bed, here's what you need to know today.

• Wednesday's death toll of 938 was the highest daily number so far in the UK. In total 7,097 have died, latest figures show
  
  
• However, the daily number of new cases - thought to give an early indication as to whether the lockdown is working - is not "accelerating out of control", government scientists say
  
• Later, ministers will discuss the UK's lockdown. A decision on extending the measures is not due yet but restrictions are expected to stay in place
  
• Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will chair the emergency Cobra meeting, which will take place virtually and include leaders of the devolved nations
  
• It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson enters a fifth day in hospital with coronavirus
  
• The PM "continues to make steady progress", according to the latest update from Downing Street
  
• Meanwhile, the public is being urged to stay at home over the Easter weekend despite warm weather
  

Asian cities take a breath

The near-global lockdown has brought something of a breather to Asia's normally congested megacities.
Where just weeks ago gridlock and pollution were part of the daily routine, traffic has all but disappeared in some places.
In Manila, the city's chronically jammed Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue saw a staggering 96% drop in cars, according to data published by the mapping company TomTom.
In Delhi, in India, congestion was down by about 59%, while the Indonesian capital Jakarta saw a 48% drop on the same time last year. In Bangkok, Thailand, traffic was down by 31%.

Most New York cases came from Europe, study suggests

A new study suggests that most of the Covid cases in New York - the worst hit state in the US - came from travellers in Europe, the New York Times reports. "The majority is clearly European," Harm van Bakel of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the co-author of the paper, told the Times.
The study is awaiting peer review.
A separate team at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine came to a similar conclusion, despite studying a different group of cases.
On 1 Feb, President Trump barred foreign nationals from entering the country if they had previously been in China. But it was not until March that he began blocking travellers from most European countries.

Italy PM: 'Going back, I would do the same'

Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has said the country could begin to ease its lockdown by the end of April.
"If scientists confirm it, we might begin to relax some measures already by the end of this month," Conte said in an exclusive interview with the BBC's Rome Correspondent Mark Lowen.
He also defended his government's handling of the crisis, saying: "Going back, I would do the same."
"For us to severely limit constitutional freedoms was a critical decision that we had to consider very carefully. If I had suggested a lockdown or limits on constitutional rights at the start, when there were the first clusters, people would have taken me for a madman," he said.

• On the debate among EU countries over the economic response to the outbreak, Conte said: "If we do not seize the opportunity to put new life into the European project, the risk of failure is real"
  
• Conte said the idea that Russian aid to Italy during the outbreak could have conditions attached was "an offence to the Italian government… and also to Vladimir Putin, who would never dream of using this as leverage"
  
• "Behind the numbers are names and surnames, life stories and broken families," he said of the human cost of the pandemic. "The Italian nation is suffering"
  

Nearly 1.5m positive tests worldwide

There have now been nearly 1.5 million positive tests for coronavirus worldwide.
The scale of testing has varied considerably from country to country, but the real number of infections for many nations is thought to be much higher than the number of positive tests.
Here are the countries with the most positive tests to date:
US 432,132
Spain 148,220
Italy 139,422
Germany 113,296
France 83,080
China 82, 867
Iran 64,586
UK 61,474
Turkey 38,226
Belgium 23,403
Out of the 1,484,811 people who have tested positive, nearly 330,000 are known to have recovered. More than 88,500 deaths have been linked to Covid-19.

Wild flowers set to bloom amid lockdown

A plant charity is predicting a boost for wild flowers because some councils have stopped mowing verges and parks during the coronavirus outbreak.
The Plantlife charity has for years urged councils to cut grass less often and to delay cutting until flowers have had chance to seed.
Plantlife has had some success, but now, in a search of social media and council websites, it has found more councils are reducing mowing in the crisis.
The councils include Lincolnshire, Flintshire, Stockton-on-Tees, Newcastle and Wigan.
In another benefit for nature - the reduction in nitrogen emissions from vehicles is likely to help delicate wild flowers, which ordinarily face competition from more aggressive plants fertilised by the nitrogen.

UK increases overdraft amid economic warnings

The UK government is set to borrow billions of pounds from its overdraft to help the country through the pandemic.
It has secured a temporary overdraft extension with the Bank of England to give it a cash buffer and help the markets function properly during the crisis.
The latest official statistics show the UK economy was stagnant in the three months to February, just before the coronavirus pandemic escalated. Economists had expected it to grow.
Paul Dales, chief UK economist at Capital Economics, said that the UK's GDP could "fall at a speed and magnitude no-one has ever seen and no economy has ever experienced before".
In Wednesday's daily briefing, Chancellor Rishi Sunak warned that coronavirus "will have a significant impact ... on people's jobs and livelihoods".

Saudi coalition announces two-week Yemen ceasefire

A ceasefire announced by the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen is due to begin in the coming hours.
The coalition's spokesman said the two-week truce would come into effect from midday on Thursday local time (10:00 BST). The spokesman said the decision was partly in response to the spread of coronavirus - although no cases have been reported in Yemen so far.
But it's unclear if the Houthi forces - who control the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen - will also observe the ceasefire. Within hours of the announcement, both sides accused each other of carrying out attacks.
Last month, the UN called on the warring parties to speed up their efforts to end the five-year war.
Yemen is already suffering the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with 80% of the population dependent on some form of aid.

Cautious optimism in Europe

Countries across Europe are cautiously starting to ease their lockdown measures, as infection rates slowly decline.
Small shops will open in Austria and Czech Republic, and schools in Denmark will re-open on 15 April. German health minister Jens Spahn suggested there could be “a gradual return to normality” after Easter if the current positive trend in numbers continues.
Even in the worst affected nations there are reasons for optimism. Reports in Italy suggest restrictions could be eased on 4 May. And on Thursday morning, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the country may be finally passing the worst of the outbreak. “The fire starts to come under control,” he told parliament.
Concerns remain however about the Easter weekend, when people usually travel to see loved ones. As of midnight, Portugal has banned people from leaving their local area without official documentation, with police vehicle checks to enforce the closure.
And the EU has still not decided how to respond to the economic meltdown. Finance ministers will hold another teleconference from 16:00 UK time to try to sort out a bailout plan

As China opens up, a remote border town locks down

A Chinese city on the Russian border is entering lockdown due to an increase in coronavirus cases - even as the rest of China cautiously opens up.
In Suifenhe, 1,000 miles from Beijing, people have been ordered to stay indoors, with some exceptions.
The border is closed to people, although not goods, and a 600-bed isolation hospital is being built.
One business owner told the BBC she was "very scared" - but another local said he had confidence in the government.

• Read our full story here.
  

British farmers forced to throw away milk

Concerns have been raised about the UK's dairy industry amid disruption to the supply chain during the pandemic.
Some dairy farms - including this one in the Midlands - say they are having to throw away thousands of litres of fresh milk and fear going out of business.
Union bosses are now calling for a crisis meeting with the government.
Ministers say they have already put measures in place to support the sector and are working closely with farmers.

Bangkok bans alcohol sales

The Thai capital has banned all sales of alcohol for 10 days to try to curb partying during Songkran, also known as the Buddhist New Year.
The festival happens every year between 13 and 15 April. It was traditionally marked by pouring water over statues of the Buddha.
But the festival has since turned into the world's biggest water fight. Throwing water is meant to wash away bad luck from the previous year.
The event draws hundreds of thousands of tourists every year - mostly to Bangkok. Similar new year festivals also take place in neighbouring Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar - though with varying degrees of water-throwing.
Thailand has reported over 2,300 Covid-19 virus cases so far, and 30 deaths.

London's theatres 'likely closed for months'

British theatres could need up to three months notice before they are able to reopen, the chair of the Arts Council has warned.
Speaking on the BBC's Today programme, Sir Nicholas Serota said some theatres could bounce back within a couple of weeks but others could take six times as long.
And even then, he warned: "It will take time to build back the audiences. I think people will not want to assemble in large numbers within a confined space”.
But he said theatres had shown their resilience through offering past performances and classes online.
Sir Nicholas also praised the government’s furlough scheme but warned artists, writers and musicians still face “really grave difficulty”. He said the Arts Council has set aside £20m of its reserves to help.
After similar measures in New York, Broadway theatres have warned that they do not expect to return until June at the earliest.

Nasa and Russia take off into space

One astronaut and two cosmonauts have set off from the Russian-operated Baikonur Cosmodrome for the International Space Station.
Strapped into the Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft are Russian cosmonauts Anatoli Ivanishin, Ivan Vagner and Nasa astronaut Chris Cassidy.
It's a strange time to be travelling, but crew member Ivanishin said where they were going was the "safest place on earth" right now.
"Although space flight carries with it a specific risk, we understand that for the next few months the International Space Station will be the safest place on earth," he said.
(P.S. In case you were wondering, a cosmonaut and an astronaut are just two different terms for the same job)

Terrorism charges over US coronavirus threats

Two men have been charged with terrorism offences in the US after threatening to spread coronavirus.
The Justice Department has classified coronavirus as a "biological weapon" and hoaxes can carry sentences of up to five years.
In the first incident, a man in Florida is accused of coughing and spitting on police officers while being arrested for domestic violence in March.
According to court documents, the 31 year old told one officer: "Well I got the corona." He later tested negative for the virus.
Meanwhile, another man in Texas faces a similar case after falsely claiming on Facebook that he had paid someone to spread coronavirus at supermarkets in the city of San Antonio.
More than 14,800 people have died of the virus in the US, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Footballers launch NHS support fund

Footballers across the English Premier League have joined forces to create a contribution fund which will raise money for the NHS.
The collective initiative - named #PlayersTogether - aims to provide financial support where "it is needed most" during the coronavirus crisis.
England internationals Harry Kane, Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford, are involved.
There have been calls for Premier League players to take a 30% pay cut to help clubs weather the financial storm.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock "warmly welcomed" the "big-hearted decision" to create the fund. He has previously said players should "take a pay cut and play their part".

Indians worried over export of unproven 'corona drug'

India's decision to export a drug that US President Donald Trump has touted as a possible cure for Covid-19 has worried many at home who take it for other ailments.
Hydroxychloroquine (commonly known as HCQ) is an affordable anti-malarial drug. There is no proof that it's effective in treating Covid-19, but its routinely prescribed for autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
"It keeps my limbs functional," Barnali Mitra, who has been taking it daily for the last 17 years for lupus, said in a phone interview.
But Mitra is now struggling to find it in chemist stores. The same is true in the US, where Mr Trump's endorsement of the drug has led to a shortage in supply.
India is one of the world's largest manufacturers of HCQ, but it has severely restricted the drug's sale amid reports of people self-medicating.
Read the full story here.