Live Reporting
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Asked again about enforcing a lockdown, Mr Johnson says the effect of such measures in Europe is not yet known."The answer is always to be guided by the science," he says. "You've got to impose these interventions... at the moment they can have the maximum effect."He says the introduction of curfews and prohibitions on movement must only come "at the right moment".
- Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England Dr Jenny Harries also warns against a "direct comparison" between virus case rates in Italy and the UK, saying this should be done with "caution".She says that the case fatality rate is around 10% in Italy, as opposed to 4% in the UK - but it depends how cases are counted.She says there are differences in testing, with more serious cases being tested in the UK, for example.She adds that they feel the eventual mortality rate for the virus will be around 1%.
- 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."
- Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick says the vulnerable who will be shielding for 12 weeks will get a phone number to ring if they need support with getting food or medicine.He says he hopes that food parcels will be arriving towards the end of next week, and will become a "more sophisticated product" over time.Boris Johnson is also challenged about a perceived clash of advice on playgrounds, and asked about how practical it is to keep children two metres apart.In reply, the prime minister says the scientific advice is that the health value of keeping parks open outweighs closing them.However he repeats his threat that the government will look at "further measures" if people don't behave "responsibly".
- Dr Jenny Harries, deputy chief medical officer for England, says it has been a "hugely complex task" to determine and contact those who will be advised to shield themselves for 12 weeks.She says they are being careful, and thus may "slightly over-estimate" the number of people in this category - which has been estimated at 1.5m.She pledges that people's individual conditions will also be factored in however when determining whether they need to be shielded.
- 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.
- More on the numbers coming from Italy. The total of new deaths from coronavirus in Italy in the last 24 hours - 651 - is lower than the number reported in the previous day - 793.According to the government, the number of confirmed cases has risen from 53,578 to 59,138, a 10% increase.This is the lowest rise in percentage terms since the contagion came to light on 21 February, according to Reuters news agency.
- Mr Jenrick says the UK's military planners will be involved in supporting the shielded - and that everyone will have the opportunity to volunteer in the coming weeks."This will be a very worrying time for people with these health conditions," he says. "Let's guarantee that they are never alone."
- Mr Jenrick says people living with one of the 1.5 million most vulnerable will not have to follow the same strict guidelines.Carers - formal and informal - can continue to visit but must follow guidelines from Public Health England.For those without a care network close by, a major national effort will create a support system - including pharmacists, supermarkets and local authorities.Food parcels, for example, will be left on the doorstep.
- Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick says the public owes it to the most vulnerable to stay at home and so help the NHS to save lives.Mr Jenrick says the new shielding measures will:
- involve up to 1.5 million people who are most at risk of being hospitalised by the coronavirus
- advise these groups to stay at home for at least 12 weeks
- include people with specific cancers, transplants and with other underlying health conditions
"If you are one of these people I want to reassure you... you are not alone," he says. - Italy has reported 651 new deaths from coronavirus, taking the total number of dead to 5,476, the government says.
- Mr Johnson says that the shielding of around 1.5 million vulnerable people will do more than many other measures to reduce the number of coronavirus cases in the UK.He says it is crucial that people understand that tomorrow the schools are closed for almost all families.And he says that, while he wants people to enjoy outdoor spaces, people must follow social distancing advice."Don't think that fresh air in itself provides some sort of immunity," he says.
- Mr Johnson says to businesses: "Thank you for your sacrifice."He adds: "The reason we are taking these unprecedented steps... is of course that we have to slow the spread of the disease and save thousands of lives."He says that the country has now reached the stage where special steps need to be taken now to protect those especially vulnerable.
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he wants to thank the country for the collective effort, NHS workers, people in social care, and those who work in supermarkets for keeping Britain going.He adds he wants to thank those who did not visit their mothers on Mothering Sunday.
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has begun the daily news briefing at Downing Street.He is joined by Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Jenny Harries.
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