The Scottish education secretary will be announcing details of any delays to Scottish Higher exams on Thursday, but officials say they are trying to be mindful of senior students completing their coursework.

The government will introduce emergency legislation to ban evictions for three months to help protect renters, Sky News reports.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson told the Commons:

After schools shut their gates on Friday afternoon they will remain closed until further notice this will be for all children, except to those of key workers and where children who are most vulnerable.

The scientific advice shows that the settings are safe for this small number of children to continue attending. But asking others to stay away will go towards helping us slow the spread of this virus.

Some examples of these key workers include NHS staff, police and delivery drivers who need to be able to go to work. vulnerable children including those who have a social worker and those with educational health and care plans. Looking after these children will enable schools to support the country through this incredibly and extremely challenging time.

On exams, he said they were cancelled:

I can confirm that we will not go ahead with assessments or exams, and that we will not be publishing performance tables for this academic year. We will work with a sector and have to ensure children get the qualifications that they need.

My department is working closely with local authorities, representatives of early years schools and head teachers, regional schools, commissioners and bodies such as Ofqual about how to deliver this change as effectively as possible.

On children eligible for free school meals, he said a national voucher system would be introduced:

We will give schools the flexibility to provide meals or vouchers to children who are eligible for free school meals. Some schools already doing this and we will make sure that those costs are reimbursed as soon as possible.

We will put in place a national voucher system for every child who is eligible for free school meals.

Q: Do you think people who ignore social distancing advice are immoral?

Johnson says he is a believer in freedom. People must make their own choices.

But the more ruthlessly we follow this advice, which is good advice, then the more we will be able to protect people, and the fewer deaths we will have.

This is “very strong advice”, he says.

And he repeats the point about not ruling out taking “further and faster” measures.

Vallance says the modelling allows for the fact that some people will not follow the social distancing advice. But people how ignore it are putting the NHS at risk. It is not soft advice, he says.

Johnson repeats the point about being willing to move further and faster if tighter rules are required.

Q: Will the school closures be mandatory? And will schools that have already closed have to reopen to take key workers?

Johnson says the government has the power to do this. He thinks the power covers private schools too. As for provision for the children of key workers, he wants to ensure that schools that have closed do provide this cover.

He says there may be some pooling (ie, children of key workers all going to the same local school, instead of several different local ones).

He says details of who key workers are will be set out later.

Q: Are you ruling out extending the Brexit transition?

Johnson jokes that Brexit is a subject that has been banished. “It has been done,” he says.

Legislation is in place which I have no intention of changing.

• Johnson says he has “no intention” of changing the law that rules out an extension of the Brexit transition.

Q: What will you do for renters at risk of eviction?

Johnson says he will legislate to address this. He says it would not be right for people to be penalised as a direct result of following government advice.

Q: Is it right that the emergency legislation coming tomorrow will lift the cap that can be invested in struggling industries?

Johnson says there is already a big package in place to support businesses. He says the point is a good one. The government will continue to look at the support that might be needed to help companies in difficulties through no fault of their own.

• Johnson suggests the government is planning bail-outs for struggling companies.

Q: If you ramp up testing, where do those take place?

Vallance says he does not want everyone coming to hospital for those tests.

Harries says, as the government goes forward, it wants to have some form of home-based testing. She says she knows that health workers want to understand their health status.

Q: Students will be preparing for GCSEs and A levels. What will you do about those? Students college places will depend on those results.

Johnson says he totally understands the frustration of these pupils. He will ensure their progress is not impeded. The government will make sure that in time they get the qualifications they need. That will be done fairly, he says.

Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England, is also here. She does not make an opening statement.

Vallance says he wants to stress that schools are not dangerous places for children.

But this measure will “knock down” transmission, and put some delay in the process.

He says this won’t supplement the other measures.

Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser, is speaking now.

He says the measures announced on Monday are already having an effect on behaviour.

But it is vital to make sure the NHS’s intensive care capacity, and ventilator capacity, is not breached, he says.

He says more measures will be needed.

Closing schools for most pupils is an important measure, he says.

Johnson says he also need to advise parents that children should not be left with older grandparents. He says he knows that will be difficult. He wants to thank people for the effort they are making complying with these measures, he says.

He says by looking after the children of key workers, teachers will be a critical part of the fightback against coronavirus.

He says he “will not hesitate to go further and faster” in the days ahead.

Johnson says they also need to keep the NHS going.

So health workers who are parents will have to continue to go to work.

And other workers, like police officers and people who deliver the food we need.

So provision will be made for the children of these key workers, he says.

And the most vulnerable children will have to be looked after.

There will be fewer children in schools. That will slow the spread of the disease.

Johnson says nurseries and private schools are being asked to do the same, and he says he the government will reimburse the cost.

Exams won’t take place. But the government will make sure children get the qualifications they need, he says.

The Welsh health minister, Vaughan Gething, has said individual funerals may not be possible if the number of coronavirus deaths is at the “top end of the reasonable worst case scenario”.

He said:

If we really are seeing a level of mortality that means that the normal process can’t cope then we’d have to make changes.

And the initial part could be about increasing storage of the deceased and powers for local authorities to acquire places to store bodies.

And then we have to consider what that means in terms of whether it’s burial or disposal and whether it’s possible that single disposal may not be possible at the top end of the reasonable worst case scenario.

And if that’s the requirement, because of the public health crisis that we’d be facing at that point, then of course we need to direct parts of the system and the finance for that so that you don’t end up having an inability to deal with the practical challenge of large numbers of excess deaths because of the financial needs of some of those people.

Speaking at a meeting of the health, social care and sport committee, he added:

It’s one of the most difficult things we may face if coronavirus does get towards the top end of the reasonable worst case scenario.

Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle has tested positive for Covid-19, he shared on Twitter.

He is the third MP to test positive for the illness.

In an article for the Guardian Rebecca Long-Bailey, the Labour leadership candidate, is calling for people who lose work because of coronavirus to be offered an employment protection payment worth at least 75% of previous earnings, up to a limit. She explains:

The chancellor ditched Tory economic orthodoxy to help business through this crisis, so he must be prepared to do the same for workers and the self-employed.

That means introducing an employment protection payment of at least 75% of previous earnings, up to a limit. This should be available for all workers whose employers have had to cease or reduce their business activity; for the self-employed, calculated on average earnings; and for those unable to work due to caring responsibilities. Ireland and Denmark have announced similar schemes already. This would ensure we maintain people’s incomes so they can get through the outbreak and protect their jobs for when we ultimately emerge on the other side.

Long-Bailey’s full article is here.

Ocado has temporarily shut down access to its website Ocado.com and its app until Saturday, as it struggled to cope with a surge in demand due to the pandemic.

Bosses work on ways to ensure more delivery slots can be available due to the coronavirus outbreak, the company said.

The decision is the latest in a long line of moves by supermarkets to ensure enough products are available.

Full details on its website.

Boris Johnson announced a three-month mortgage holiday at yesterday’s coronavirus press conference, but no measures to support people struggling to pay their rent. At PMQs today Johnson said the government would bring forward legislation to support private renters, but it is not yet clear what this support will entail.

One in five, or 4.6 million households, are privately rented in England. However young people and those from a minority ethnic background are more likely to rent their home from a private landlord, Guardian analysis shows.

More than a third of those living in private rented accommodation are 25 to 34-year-olds, according to 2017 data from the Office of National Statistics. By comparison just 8% of private renters are in the 55-64 age category.

There are also clear dividing lines when it comes to ethnicity. White British households were more likely to own a house than any other ethnic group, with the exception of Indian households and mixed white and Asian households, according to analysis published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The lowest rates of home ownership were among Black African (20%) and Arab (17%) communities.

• This entry was amended on 27 March 2020. More than a third of those living in private rented accommodation are 25 to 34-year-olds, while 8% are in the 55-64 age category. An earlier version incorrectly said that more than a third of 25 to 34-year-olds, and 8% of 55 to 64-year-olds, live in private rented accommodation.

High Street coffee giants Costa Coffee and Starbucks will tomorrow switch hundreds of outlets to a “takeaway” model – closing off all indoor and outdoor seating – and also going completely cash-free to reduce the risk of contamination through touch.

Today Starbucks has been offering free filtered coffee to all NHS, council and emergency services staff, while similar initiatives have been launched by Pret a Manger and McDonalds. The new government rules on “social distancing” mean it has already closed stores in cinemas and large shopping centres where people typically gather in large groups.

Costa is also removing newspapers, ending the use of refillable coffee cups and removing cutlery, while also reducing its food range. Its chief executive Jill McDonald said in a letter to customers and staff today:

As the nation’s favourite coffee shop, we are committed to providing you with a clean and safe environment. The safety of our customers and our store teams is our number one priority, no more so than when operating in unprecedented times.

Shakespeare’s Globe in London has announced it will close its doors to the public until further notice, ceasing performances, educational activities and tours.

Following “one of the hardest decisions we have had to make”, the Globe signed off on Twitter with a moving and optimistic message, amended from Julius Caesar: “When we do meet again, why, we shall smile.”

The UK’s major mobile operators are to allow customers to access NHS advice about coronavirus for free, PA Media reports.

EE, O2, Three and Vodafone have all agreed to let customers go to www.nhs.uk and 111.nhs.uk without any data costs.

The Department of Health and Social Care said the initiative was designed to ensure that everyone could get verified and up-to-date NHS information and advice on the Covid-19 outbreak.

Free access to online NHS services will be available for as long as Covid-19 was prevalent in the UK, the department said.

Here is the Guardian’s latest Politics Weekly podcast. Heather Stewart is joined on the line by Ryan Shorthouse, Miatta Fahnbulleh, and Polly Mackenzie to talk about the possible consequences of the UK government’s response to Covid-19. Plus, Rajeev Syal talks to the former head of the civil service Lord Kerslake about how Whitehall deals with a national emergency.

The TUC has published a report setting out details of five measures that it thinks the government should adopt to protect jobs and family incomes. It is calling for:

1 - Wage subsidies for people who have lost work. “Just like in Germany, Denmark and Sweden the government should subsidise wages for reduced hours and help working families,” the TUC says.

2 - Sick pay to be available for everyone, with the rate increased from the current £94 per week.

3 - Better support for parents who need to take time off work to look after children.

4 - A further significant economic stimulus. “The government must help people meet their rent, mortgage and debt payments, give people living on benefits and pensions a significant bump in income,” the TUC says.

5 - A taskforce combining employers and unions working together to avoid mass unemployment.

Frances O’Grady, the TUC general secretary, said:

The chancellor’s announcements so far will help protect businesses. But he must now urgently step up the protections that workers need too.

The cycling industry will join forces to call on government to exempt cycling from any ban, due to its strategic role in the nation’s resilience - not only as transport but a form of exercise, the Bicycle Association has said.

Italy and Spain banned leisure cycling in the last week. The industry wants the UK to avoid cycling bans, and it wants bike shops exempted from shop opening restrictions as it believes cycling has a strategic role to play in mitigating some of the impact on peoples’ lives of restrictions on transport and access to the outdoors.

This follows 30 prominent health and transport experts’ calls to protect cycling and walking plus keeping parks open, and warns of the risks of confining otherwise healthy people to their homes.

Getting outside for fresh air and green spaces could be crucial in maintaining physical and mental health in the population during these times, they say.

Plans are being worked on in Wales to “re-purpose” schools - and teachers - to support children of key workers such as health professionals.

Welsh education minister Kirsty Williams said at a press conference in Cardiff that she did not expect the summer exams to take place this year.

She explained that children would definitely be off for four weeks – but warned it would be a “considerable amount of time” before schools were back to normal.

The Welsh government is bringing forward the Easter break for school in Wales, which will close for normal lessons on Friday at the latest.

Williams said that from next week, schools will serve a new purpose. She said job would be looking after children of parents dealing with the immediate response to the crisis – such as doctors, nurses, care workers and people involved in the food supply chain.

The minister also said that youth workers, sports coaches and people working in the arts could also be called on to help.

She said:

We will be looking to establish a system of support that will allow those key personnel to be able to use those facilities. We do not want do denude those frontline workers by not having an option for childcare. It’s a massive task.

Asked how long the closures were going to last, Williams said:

We will continue to keep the situation under review. I am not anticipating that we will be able to get school back to normal at the Easter break. Children will be off for four weeks. I do not anticipate that schools will be back to normal for a considerable amount of time.

Williams added that work was being done to make sure that children who would have expected to have free school meals will not go hungry.

On free school meals Williams said: “We are looking to put in place emergency provision as we work out a more detailed response.”

The minister said she had been impressed by the response of teachers.

We are not in normal times. The [teaching] profession knows they have a crucial role to play in helping this nation overcome the the problems we are facing.

Williams said the decision to close schools had not been made following new health advice but to try to use resources pragmatically. “Things are changing on a daily and hourly basis,” she added.

On the possible cancellation of this summer exams, Williams said:

We are hoping to make an announcement across all [UK] nations as soon as possible but she said it was possible GCSE and A-level students in Wales may be graded on the basis of assessments already available.

Blood donors have been urged to keep donating, as people start to take social distancing measures to stop the spread of coronavirus, the Press Association reports. NHS Blood and Transplant said that its donor sessions are still open around the country. NHSBT said it needed to make sure people continued donations as normal to ensure hospitals had the stocks that they need.

At a news conference about the closure of schools in Wales from Friday (see 1.14pm) Kirsty Williams, the Welsh government’s education minister, said that she did not expect the schools to go back to normal after Easter. She also said that she did not expect the exam period to proceed.

These are from the BBC’s James Williams, quoting Kirsty Williams.

All non-essential visits to patients are being stopped at one of the largest hospital trusts in England because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The announcement came from the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS foundation trust, which operates the Queen Elizabeth hospital, a regional cancer and trauma centre, and several other clinical sites across the Midlands.

In a statement the trust, which handles 2.2 million patients a year, said it had taken the “difficult decision” to best protect staff, patients and visitors from infection.

The ban affects all visits with some exceptions including; parents visiting children, birthing partners, those seeing critically ill patients who may be at the end of their life, and people acting for patients without decision-making capacity.

The suspension comes into force from 8pm today, with permitted visitors being told to wash their hands on arriving and leaving wards.

While shoppers may have been struggling to buy staple grocery essentials such as toilet roll and pasta online or in supermarkets, operators of the UK’s convenience stores have taken to social media to offer to help local customers who might be struggling.

Alan Carr of Nisa’s Newport Village Stores in Saffron Walden, Essex, is offering a free delivery service to anyone in self-isolation or any elderly people concerned about the virus and not wanting to leave their homes. In a post on its Facebook page, it has published details of the quietest times in the shop so customers can choose to visit then, with photos of the chiller cabinet groaning with fresh meat packs from local butchers.

Carr said: “There will be a leaflet drop next week but if people know of anyone not on Facebook with concerns, we’re asking them to inform them and spread the word.”

Hand sanitiser, anti-bacterial surface cleaner and similar products have been a key focus in the Nisa Local Whitehills supermarket in Northampton, where refill stations have been set up, enabling shoppers to bring in their own containers and replenish them.

As of 2pm, coronavirus testing has confirmed six new cases in Northern Ireland, bringing the total number to 68.

The total number of tests completed is 1,482.

Final-year medical students are being graduated early this week and fast-tracked to hospitals to carry out tasks such as patient assessments and blood tests to help fight the pandemic, BuzzFeed UK’s political editor Alex Wickham reports.

Sales at UK restaurants, cafes, and pubs are down 69% compared with the same week last year, according to stats from retail data company Tenzo, which monitors sales of hospitality businesses in the UK.

After a week of constant decline, the company said, revenue losses had already started to translate into closures, with 8% of the sites they monitored having shut up shop, either temporarily or permanently.

Faced with the prospect of footfall declining further, many cafes and restaurants are turning to delivery platforms in an effort to keep revenue up: food delivery apps are some of the only businesses expected to benefit from the coming downturn.

According to AppAnnie, which tracks smartphone app use, “China also saw strong growth in weekly time spent” in those apps “in February and the first week of March”, and the US and Spain were already seeing rises as early as the first week of March.

The Britannia hotel chain says it has offered the government the use of its rooms as extra hospital accommodation for coronavirus patients.

The company said it had more than 60 hotels and more than 600 beds in cities and towns across the UK that could be used for critical care or as extra care home accommodation.

A spokesman said some of its hotels were already being considered for conversion into private health and social care facilities. He said it wanted to offer “extensive support accommodation for hospitals or care homes during this difficult time”.

All Wetherspoon pubs will remain open, but customers will pay by card, avoid standing at the bar and sit at alternate tables, PA Media is reporting.

Dame Judi Dench has done it again going, er, viral on Twitter with this uplifting message.

“Just keep laughing, that’s all we can do.”

Landlords are threatening to evict tenants, including in at least one case an NHS worker, because they are scared of catching coronavirus from them, a housing charity has revealed.

Shelter said that it has been contacted by tenants facing eviction or already evicted because of the pandemic and warned that more than 50,000 households could be turfed out of their homes in the next six months unless the government acts urgently to protect tenants.

The housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, is expected to detail measures on renters after the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced on Tuesday that homeowners would be granted a mortgage holiday to help them through the coming months. On Wednesday, the prime minister, Boris Johnson, told parliament: “We will be bringing forward legislation to protect private renters from eviction.”

Shelter said that it has been contacted by one renter who works at an NHS hospital who said their landlord wanted to evict them and the other tenants in the property, some of whom also work at the hospital, because he fears contracting the virus from them. The landlord reportedly added that unless a cure in found in the next few weeks, they will have to leave.

Another renter was illegally evicted while on holiday in Italy without notice after the landlord said they were worried they would catch the virus. The tenant offered to self-isolate for 14 days elsewhere before returning to the property, but the landlord still refused, Shelter said. The cases emerged from the charity’s online help service and could not be verified by the Guardian.

Tens of thousands of renters face being turfed out of their home in the next six months if the government fails to act quickly,” said Polly Neate, chief executive at Shelter. “We need a wholesale and complete halt to all evictions while the coronavirus crisis unfolds. The government has stepped to in to support mortgagees and it must now act decisively to help renters survive the current storm. It must legislate immediately to halt all eviction proceedings during this period of social disruption.”

Renters’ organisation Generation Rent said almost two-thirds of renters have no savings, at least 2 million live in houses of multiple occupation putting them at higher risk of contracting the virus, and there are 1.1m self-employed heads of households who rent their homes, who are at a high risk of losing work as a result of coronavirus.

Caitlin Wilkinson, policy manager at the campaign group, said:

We know that many landlords will take action to evict tenants, leaving them homeless in the midst of a pandemic. Renters should not have to choose between staying healthy and keeping a roof over their head.

Here’s a good question from BTL prompted by what Boris Johnson said at PMQs. (See 1.25pm.)

cerises

18 March 2020 1:50pm

Andrew,
When will we attain 25 000 tests a day (five times the current rate)?

The answer - in four weeks - is contained in a No 10 press release. It says:

As many as 25,000 people within NHS hospitals will be tested for coronavirus every day as part of a major national effort to boost testing capacity, the government has confirmed today.

With a focus on ensuring the highest priority cases are tested first, officials are working to rapidly increase the number of tests that can be conducted by Public Health England and the NHS in laboratories, with the expected surge in capacity ready within just four weeks ...

The UK government has already completed over 50,000 tests. It is anticipated that, with increased capacity to 25,000 daily, testing levels in the UK could soon exceed that in China.

Last week, the NHS and PHE increased testing to 5,000 a day and that number continues to increase. By next week it is hoped we will increase testing to 10,000 per day.

The UK biotech Synairgen has joined the global race to come up with a treatment for Covid-19. It has received the green light from UK regulators to conduct a trial of its lead drug SNG001 in Covid-19 patients “to potentially assist with the global outbreak of the virus”.

The inhaled drug is being developed for chronic-obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), a severe lung disease. In the phase 2 (intermediate) trial, 100 patients with coronavirus will be given the drug across a number of NHS trusts. The trial is expected to start imminently.

The treatment is designed to boost the patient’s immune system to help them fight off the virus. It contains interferon beta, a naturally occurring protein, which orchestrates the body’s antiviral responses. It was identified in a WHO analysis of potential Covid-19 treatments last month as the only phase 2 therapy that is inhaled.

Prof Stephen Holgate, Medical Research Council professor of immunopharmacology, said:

The reduced innate immune response that exists in the lung of those at most risk of serious Covid-19 disease such as older people and those with pre-existing lung disease makes such patients ideal candidates to receive inhaled SNG001 to replace their interferon deficiency … In the absence of a suitable vaccine, increasing the host’s own immunity to enhance protection and virus elimination would seem a logical therapeutic approach.

Synairgen was founded by three professors at the University of Southampton in 2004 and focuses on asthma and COPD. It is listed on the London stock exchange’s junior AIM market.

The wedding of the Queen’s granddaughter Princess Beatrice is being reviewed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

It is due to take place on 29 May. Buckingham Palace confirmed to PA that the planned reception in the palace gardens will not take place, in line with government advice, and a private marriage amongst a small group of family and friends was being considered.

Back in the Treasury committee Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, says he has been speaking to the communities secretary, Robert Jenrick, only this morning about what extra help councils might need, particularly with regard to social care.

ITV has announced plans to scale back some of its output amid the coronavirus outbreak, which includes postponing the final and semi-final of The Voice.

The broadcaster also announced plans to air a new weekly Monday night show called Coronavirus Report.

Soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale will continue to be broadcast and ITV said that new episodes will continue to be made, however shoots will feature fewer cast members and less filming on location.

Contingency plans have also been made to broadcast the news from studios outside London if necessary.

If you are concerned about the number of confirmed cases in your area, the Guardian’s Seán Clarke and Pablo Gutiérrez have put together these very handy tools to map the spread of the virus across the UK.

London paramedics attending people who could be infected with the coronavirus were told only one person in each team of two could wear a face mask, with the other instructed to stand two metres away from the patient if “clinically appropriate”, our Mattha Busby reports.

The message was sent from controllers to London Ambulance Service crews at 3am on Tuesday, prompting paramedics to question why they were ordered to ration face masks in the advice given in a directive sent to ambulance terminals.

Doctors and nurses have warned frontline NHS staff are at risk of dying from Covid-19 after protective gear requirements for health workers treating those infected were downgraded last week, while shortages appear to be widespread across the health service amid massively increased demand.

The full story can be read here:

A Deliveroo driver in Sheffield said he felt torn over whether he should go back to work seven days after he came down with flu-like symptoms and was denied access the company’s Covid-19 fund.

The driver, a father of three who preferred not to be named, said he had been left struggling to pay his rent and bills and to buy food for his family after losing a week’s worth of pay from his delivery work.

He says the automated NHS 111 would not supply him with a sick note and, although he was able to get through to his local family practice, a GP told him there was no capacity for them to do so either.

Deliveroo told him it would not pay out money from its hardship fund unless he had a note to prove his illness, he said. He now felt he would have to go back out to work despite not feeling fully recovered, or face destitution. He said:

”Now I’m thinking, is it really worth it? I’m feeling a bit better now, I’m thinking I’m just going to self-isolate until Saturday [the seventh day after the symptoms began]. I’ve got bills, rent, I’ve got three kids that are at home now.

“It feels a bit selfish for me to go out to work and not think about other people. If I pass my germs on to them I couldn’t live with myself. But then again, if I don’t go out to work I don’t eat. I’ve got rent and bills to pay. It’s such a dilemma, I’m seriously getting pulled from left to right ... do I take the gamble or not?

“I’ve spoke to this other guy from Sheffield as well, he was unwell about three or four days. He said: ‘Do you know what? Just forget about telling Deliveroo.’

“I think there’s plenty of people out there who just think, don’t let Deliveroo know. There’s a lot of people out there who if they don’t work they don’t eat.”

In an article for the Guardian Richard Horton, editor of the Lancet, the medical journal, says the UK was much to slow to appreciate the seriousness of coronavirus. Here is an excerpt.

After weeks of inaction, the government announced a sudden U-turn on Monday, declaring that new modelling by scientists at Imperial College had convinced them to change their initial plans. Many journalists, led by the BBC, reported that “the science had changed” and so the government had responded accordingly. But this interpretation of events is wrong. The science has been the same since January. What changed is that government advisers at last understood what had really taken place in China ...

Something has gone badly wrong in the way the UK has handled Covid-19. I know Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, and Patrick Vallance. I have the utmost respect for both. They have had the services of some of the most talented researchers in the world to draw on. But somehow there was a collective failure among politicians and perhaps even government experts to recognise the signals that Chinese and Italian scientists were sending. We had the opportunity and the time to learn from the experience of other countries. For reasons that are not entirely clear, the UK missed those signals. We missed those opportunities.

And here is the full article.

If schools in Wales - and probably England too - are to close for long periods, what happens with GCSE and A-level exams this summer?

Kirsty Williams, the Welsh education minister, said the issue was still under discussion.

One of the critical decisions that we will seek to clarify with urgency is that of the forthcoming examinations .... In line with all education ministers across the UK, I will be making a further announcement shortly.

Some school leaders have suggested cancelling this summer’s exams and delaying them until 2021, while others want them to be replaced with teacher assessment this year once schools reopen.

The Wiltshire town of Chippenham was quiet despite more than 3,000 children being freed from their lessons after two large secondary schools closed their doors.

Most pupils from Hardenhuish and Sheldon schools seemed to be following orders to stay at home and get on with their studies – and even their PE lessons - remotely.

Instructions for lessons dropped first thing on Wednesday morning along with notes from teachers telling pupils to set up good routines.

The headteacher of Hardenhuish school, Lisa Perry, wrote to pupils: “Please ensure that you start good habits today. Remember to complete the work set during your normal timetable and follow the instructions set by staff.... Don’t forget to keep washing your hands and stay healthy.”

Pupils were also given a list of other activities they could do to keep themselves busy ranging from writing an essay on what potential there is for humans to live on other planets to cooking for the family, writing a letter of gratitude to someone who had helped them, go running or design a bug hotel or bird feeder.

Both schools shut because of staff shortages caused by teachers and other staff having to self-isolate and distance themselves.

A third school, St Nicholas, a special school, was closed until after the Easter holidays.

Back in the Treasury committee Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, says there are emergency powers that allow the Treasury to provide loan guarantees.

But he wants to ensure that, if he needs to go further, he can. That is why the emergency legislation being published tomorrow will give him extra powers.

Q: Can you imagine the government buying stakes in companies to keep them operating?

Sunak says the resilience of the banking system is very strong.

On the general point, he says “we stand ready to do what it takes”.

There are some big companies that may need support, he says.

But he says he is very conscious that he is talking about taxpayers’ money.

At the Downing Street post-PMQs lobby briefing the prime minister’s spokesman was asked about the possibility of school closures in England. He said the possibility of school closures had always been part of the plan “should the medical and scientific advice state that was the right step to take and that we have reached the right moment to do so”. He added: “That’s the basis on which we make our decisions.”

Two weeks ago, at the start of this crisis, officials were playing down the need for school closures, stressing that children were not at particular risk and that closures would have an impact on the NHS.

At the Treasury committee Labour’s Alison McGovern asks about a restaurant owner who employs 100 people. He says loans are of no use to him. (Most of the £350bn business support package announced yesterday related to loans, not grants.) McGovern says loans are useful for a business facing deferred income. But these businesses are facing lost income.

Rishi Sunak says he is offering long-term loans, with no interest payable for the first six months. He says he thinks this will help keep a business viable.

At the Treasury committee Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has just been asked why the pound has been falling so much when this is clearly a global crisis, not a UK one. Unsurprisingly he said, as chancellor, it would not be right for him to comment on the value of the pound.

In the Treasury committee Sunak is asked if employment support allowance, at £73, and statutory sick pay, at £94, is not enough.

Sunak says he thinks these benefits are only part of the safety net. He says, in relation to comparison with benefit levels in other countries, you need to bear in mind the benefits of the NHS too. And the safety net has been strengthened.

Back in the Treasury Sunak denies being reluctant to talk about his proposals for employment support. He says he will be speaking to unions later today.

As soon as he has effective plans, he will announce them.

Q: But we need action now, so people know they will not lose their income?

Sunak says he is “absolutely alive to the urgency” of this.

Rishi Sunak is being questioned by the Commons Treasury committee:

Q: Is there any mileage in looking at a reverse national insurance approach? (This is what the CBI wants - see 9.04am.)

Sunak says he is looking at a range of measures. He wants something that can be introduced quickly. But he also wants a measure that can be targeted.

Q: Could reverse NICs be targeted?

Sunak says you might want to target companies of a particular size.

But he says, as you need a bigger approach, the case for a more macro-approach, rather than a targeted policy, grows stronger.

Britons in Spain have been urged by the Foreign Office to return before 24 March when all Spanish hotels close.

In a statement, it said:

The Spanish government have confirmed that all hotels will close in Spain from Tuesday 24 March.

We therefore advise British travellers in Spain to contact their tour operator or airline as soon as possible, to arrange their return journey home before this date.

ITV has announced a temporary change to the airing of Coronation Street and Emmerdale due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A statement from the broadcaster said: “Whilst carefully adhering to the latest health advice from the government and Public Health England, our production teams are continuing to film episodes in Manchester and Leeds.

“With this change of transmission pattern it will ensure we have great new soap episodes coming to air every weekday night until at least the early summer.

“With effect from Monday 30 March Coronation Street and Emmerdale’s scheduling pattern will be changing due to the coronavirus pandemic. Emmerdale will air Monday to Friday at 7pm and Coronation Street Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7.30pm.”

The online wine retailer Naked Wines has stopped taking new orders, citing a “surge” in demand yesterday from customers stuck at home.

In a message the firm said that it would “temporarily pause” new deliveries while it worked through an existing backlog. It warned that the time taken to get wine to people’s doorsteps would take “much longer than usual”.’

Staff were working remotely and would no longer be able to answer phones but were available via email and live chat, it said.

It added in an email: “This is certainly not something we have chosen to do lightly. Our main priority during this time is keeping our customers, staff, suppliers and community of winemakers safe.”

British universities have today moved to empty their campuses of all but essential staff and researchers, telling students to vacate their accommodation.

Oxford University’s famous Bodleian library shut its doors on Wednesday morning, while Imperial College and University College London have told students that normal services and facilities would be unavailable, and that they should prepare to move out.

The University of Cambridge said its libraries would close from Wednesday evening and other buildings would shut on Friday, with staff to work from home unless needed for “business-critical” activities.

“We are asking students – both undergraduate and postgraduate – to return home now, if possible. It is especially urgent for international students needing to make travel arrangements to do so as quickly as possible, as many countries are already imposing travel restrictions,” Cambridge’s vice-chancellor, Stephen Toope, said.

Toope said for students unable to leave Cambridge, “college accommodation will be available if needed”.

UCL told students: “Given the UK government’s advice about reducing all but essential travel, our strongest possible advice to all students who are able to return to their home is that you must do so within the next few days.”

Previously universities had cancelled lectures and in-person teaching while otherwise remaining open, but have now taken more aggressive action to tackle coronavirus.

A union representing Deliveroo riders says the gig economy firm’s coronavirus sick pay process doesn’t work.

As more and more people in self-isolation rely on couriers to deliver food as well as parcels, the company said it will offer its 35,000 riders in excess of statutory sick pay, for up to two weeks of self-isolation.

It said last week that riders need to be “verifiably diagnosed with coronavirus or verifiably told to isolate themselves by a medical authority” using a sick note from NHS 111, but it turns out the service does not provide them so the promised funds are so far inaccessible.

Given that the NHS guidelines state that people that display Covid-19 symptoms should not go to their GP and the 111 helpline does not currently provide sick notes, it is unclear how Deliveroo workers are expected to provide said notes,” said the Independent Workers of Great Britain union.

Deliveroo has acknowledged the problem, but highlighted a statement from the Chancellor in his budget speech that “rather than having to go to the doctors you will soon be able to obtain a sick note by contacting 111”. It said it is pressing the government for a response on when this will happen.

Deliveroo and other so-called gig economy employers have to stop blocking their workers’ access to these funds and immediately introduce full contractual sick pay, without pre-conditions,” said Alex Marshall, who chair’s the union’s courier and logistics branch.

These workers are being expected to play a huge role in feeding people during this time of crisis, so it is time for their employers and the government to give them the basic rights we expect in any decent and just society.”

Gavin Williamson, the eduction secretary for England, is due to make a Commons statement at around 5pm, LBC’s Benjamin Kentish reports.

At PMQs Boris Johnson strongly hinted that he is moving towards at least a partial closure of schools in England. (See 1.25pm.)

A Commons statement is expected at 5pm on the situation regarding school closures in England.

Police say the public have been so compliant during the coronavirus crisis that they have not had to use special powers they were granted on a single occasion.

In February police were given the power to detain people suspected of having the virus and take them to a medical facility.

The National Police Chiefs Council say none of the 44 forces in England and Wales report having the use the power in the six weeks they have had it.

On Tuesday the government published a bill putting the power more formally into law.

An explanatory note reads: “Public support and compliance is crucial and we are grateful for the flexibility people have shown, but we need to ensure police and immigration officers have the authority to enforce these measures where necessary. Therefore, the bill will enable the police and immigration officers to detain a person, for a limited period, who is, or may be, infectious and to take them to a suitable place to enable screening and assessment.”

A spokesperson for the NPCC said: “The measures announced in the Bill will mean that we will be able to direct a person for screening or assessment where we suspect that they may be infected, and in exceptional circumstances to detain them for the purpose of ensuring that they are placed in appropriate isolation facilities to protect public health.

“Officers will use these measures only when necessary and proportionate to do so. We will be working in close cooperation with public health officials and will use our powers to detain based on their advice or express request for support.”

Paul Netherton, the police chief in charge of planning, appears before the home affairs select committee on Wednesday.

The Guardian understands police are trying to get more protective equipment for officers, items such as masks, gloves and eye protection. But new supplies have run out and the first priority, when they can be bought, will be for nurses and doctors in the NHS.

Police in England and Wales will only wear protective equipment where there is a danger of someone having the COVID-19 virus.

Charities are warning of a rise in calls from people with disabilities who are being cut off from vital supplies as others resort to panic buying amid the coronavirus outbreak, Frances Ryan and Sarah Marsh report.

People with disabilities have contacted the Guardian to say they are not able to get their supermarket food deliveries due to panic buying and stockpiling of goods, which has increased demand on supermarkets amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

A number of people have also struggled to get vital medical supplies, with a woman who has muscular dystrophy unable to find any non-latex gloves for suctioning her airway. She had to pay £70 to get them off Amazon.

Another woman with a systemic neuro-immune condition said all the online supermarket delivery slots were booked up to April, while another individual who contacted Sainsbury’s to complain says she was asked why they should prioritise disabled people.

You can read the full story here:

Administrators at collapsed department store chain Beales have decided to close the final remaining 11 stores on Thursday, two weeks earlier than previously planned, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Will Wright, partner at KPMG and joint administrator, said:

Whilst it is regrettable that we have had to take this decision, especially given the fantastic support that the staff have provided to the business and the administrators since our appointment, the impact of these unprecedented circumstances has left us with no alternative option.”

The traditional Durham Miners’ Gala which was set to take place in July has also been cancelled due to the crisis, organisers have confirmed.

The Durham Miners’ Association said the decision was taken to relieve the burden on public services from having to work on the planning process.

It also said it wanted to protect the possible 200,000 people who attend what is usually Europe’s biggest trade union event from being exposed to the virus.

The DMA said previously only world wars and two national strikes have prevented the gala from going ahead since the first was held in 1871.

King’s College in Cambridge is closing its chapel and the college grounds to all visitors from today. All events and dinners are to be cancelled or postponed until further notice, and only fellows, college staff and existing students will be able to enter the grounds.

The Catholic church in England and Wales is suspending services from Friday until further notice.

A letter from Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the archbishop of Westminster, says: “In response to the coronavirus pandemic, so many aspects of our lives must change. This includes the ways in which we publicly express our faith.

“It is very clear that, following official advice and in order to keep each other safe, save lives and support the NHS, at this time we must not gather for public acts of worship in our churches.

“Our churches will remain open. They will be a focal point of prayer, where you will find solace and strength.

“However, the celebration of Mass, Sunday by Sunday and day by day, will take place without a public congregation. Knowing that the Mass is being celebrated; joining in spiritually in that celebration;watching the live-streaming of the Mass; following its prayers at home; making an act of spiritual communion: this is how we share in the Sacrifice of Christ in these days.

“We want everyone to understand that in these emergency circumstances, and for as long as they last, the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days is removed.”

“[Another] vital aspect of these challenging times is our care for each other. There are so many ways in which we are to do this: being attentive to the needs of our neighbour, especially the elderly and vulnerable; contributing to our local food banks; volunteering for charitable initiatives and organisations; simply keeping in touch by all the means open to us.”

A third patient in Scotland has died after contracting the coronavirus, PA reports.

Parkrun has cancelled all events across the UK with immediate effect. Bosses said closures were expected to continue through April at least.

WHSmith will be doubling the NHS staff discount on food and drinks to 20% in all its hospital stores from Thursday.

The retailer said the move was in recognition of healthcare professionals’ efforts during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Glastonbury is the latest cultural casualty of the coronavirus outbreak, but several other events have been cancelled, postponed or rescheduled this morning.

The Design Museum in west London follows most other cultural spaces around the UK by closing its doors for the foreseeable future.

Tim Marlow, chief executive and director of the museum said: “No-one doubts the severity of what we will face in the weeks ahead but it’s clear that museums in general, and one devoted to design in particular, will have a significant role to play in the future.”

The Electronic: From Kraftwerk to The Chemical Brothers and Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street exhibition, which was originally planned to open in April and May, will be postponed.

Elsewhere, Brighton Fringe confirmed it would be cancelled, as did Norfolk & Norwich Festival which was due to take place in May.

Sir Ian Blatchford confirmed the temporary closure of the five museums in the ScienceMuseum Group – including the Science Museum in London; National Railway Museum in York; Science and Industry Museum in Manchester; National Science and Media Museum in Bradford; and Locomotion in Shildon, County Durham.

The Who have rescheduled their planned arena tour, it will now take place in March 2021.

Peter Kay has also cancelled his Dance For Life tour due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The National Trust for Scotland will close all its historic buildings and events including weddings will be postponed, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

‘Gated properties’ - historic buildings, visitor centres, visitor facilities, shops, cafes and toilets - will be closed and events suspended from Friday.

However, in the same spirit as the National Trust (for England, Wales and Northern Ireland), NTS said its country parks, gardens and landscapes would remain open where possible “so the nation can relax and rejuvenate”.

A trade union representing gig economy workers has called on Deliveroo, the food delivery service, to reform its Covid-19 hardship fund, which they say only pays out to workers with a sick note.

Even as food delivery services become increasingly crucial for households in self-isolation over suspected coronavirus infections, there are fears that the gig economy riders who staff them may be continuing to ride while themselves sick or face destitution.

Deliveroo’s fund, announced last week, was supposed to offer riders a safety net in case they had to self-isolate over suspected infection with coronavirus.

However, a spokesperson for the IWGB said that riders who were calling up to report that they were suffering from symptoms were having their delivery accounts deactivated, then told they could not access emergency funds unless they were able to provide a sick note.

NHS guidelines state that people who display symptoms of the disease should not go to their GP, and the NHS 111 helpline cannot provide sick notes, making them impossible to obtain for suspected Covid-19 infections in most cases.

It is understood that riders working for other gig economy services are being left in the same position. Alex Marshall, chair of the IWGB Couriers and Logistics branch, said:

“Deliveroo and other so-called gig economy employers have to stop blocking their workers’ access to these funds and immediately introduce full contractual sick pay, without pre-conditions.

“Increasingly, these workers are being expected to play a huge role in feeding people during this time of crisis, so it is time for their employers and the government to give them the basic rights we expect in any decent and just society.”

The Guardian has contacted Deliveroo for comment.

In these unusual times, with social distancing, working from home and self-isolation taking effect the world over, sales of sex toys appear to have seen an uplift.

Stats suggest UK sales are up 13%, whilst in Canada they have soared by 135% and by 71% in Italy.

Perhaps our G2 commissioning editor puts it best:

Theresa May, the former PM, asks if Johnson agrees that it may be difficult to ease the social isolation rules before a vaccine is necessary. Does the PM agree, and how will the government have an exit strategy from these measures.

Johnson says the government’s policy is to push down the peak of the epidemic. And he says he is confident that the country will get through this.

Andrew Murrison, a Conservative, commends Johnson for his handling of the crisis. What guidelines will be given to NHS staff to help them decide which patients to prioritise?

Johnson says medics are used to taking these decisions. The government will led them use their discretion, he says.

Labour’s Rupa Huq says today is the day of the single parent family. Ronald Reagan initiated this in 1984, she says. Does he agree all families matter?

Johnson backs Huq for what she said.

Labour’s Siobhain McDonagh asks Johnson to tell the courts to stop section 21 evictions.

Johnson says he will be bringing forward legislation to address this.

Stephen Farry, the Alliance MP, asks when Johnson will accept that it will be necessary to extend the Brexit transition.

Johnson says his focus is coronavirus. “The other matter” has been legislated on, he says.

(Under the EU [Withdrawal Agreement] Act ministers are not allowed to request an extension. There is a widespread assumption that, despite what the government is saying now, and despite the act, which can be amended, an extension will happen.)

Andy Carter, a Conservative, asks for an assurance that the government will do all it can to save lives.

Yes, says Johnson.

Johnson says he agrees on the need to work collectively on the search for a vaccine. He says the UK is working with the EU, the G7 and the WHO on this.

Felicity Buchan, a Conservative, asks for an assurance that the government will do everything to help the low paid. Now is not the time to be squeamish about public sector debt, she says (quoting the American economist Oliver Blanchard).

Johnson agrees.

Labour’s Chris Bryant urges the PM to look at the coronavirus crisis through the eyes of the Rhondda. There are a lot of sole traders there, and a lot of people who are already being laid off. He says he does not want to be partisan, but he thinks they are being overlooked. He suggests some some version of winter fuel payments, or VAT holidays for sole traders.

Johnson says Bryant speaks powerfully. He says he will do whatever it takes. He welcomes the suggestion for a cross-party approach.

Edward Timpson, a Conservative, says the NHS is working day and night to care for people. What is the PM doing to bring together a coalition of manufacturers to provide more ventilators, and other equipment needed?

Johnson says there is already a coalition of manufacturers working on this.

Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, says this is an unprecedented emergency. It requires an unprecedented response. He says he welcomes the fact that parties in the Commons, and governments across the UK, are working together.

He says the government needs to announce a financial package for people, to match the financial package for business. He says MPs from across the house support the idea of a temporary universal basic income. Will Johnson accept this idea?

Johnson says MPs should not underestimate the value of the measures already announced. But it is important to take steps to support workers too. That is one of many such suggestions, he says.

Blackford says thousands of people are already losing their jobs. He says people need an income guarantee today. We must not repeat history, he says. People are worried about their bills. In the last financial crisis the banks were bailed out, but not the people. He says an emergency universal income scheme would protect people. Will the PM commit to meeting opposition parties to discuss this?

Johnson says he will meet them. And he agrees with what Blackford said about not wanting to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Corbyn says our response must be bold. The market cannot deliver what is needed, he says. He says people understand the need for temporary restrictions. But the PM must understand that that requires balancing action from the government.

The health of us all depends on the health of the most vulnerable.

Will the PM give the most vulnerable the help they need?

Johnson says he can. He says that is why the government has announced £500m for councils.

He says government is asking the public to do extraordinary things. But the more we can act together, the more we will relieve the burden on the NHS, the more we will save lives and the quicker we will get through this.

Corbyn says the WHO says “test, test, test”. He says even 10,000 a day would be nowhere near the number of staff in the NHS.

Staff are told they do not have to wear full protective gear when treating patients. He quotes one saying doctors are scared. They should not be. They should be protected.

Johnson says testing is move up to 25,000 tests a day.

On PPE (personal protective equipment), he says a massive effort is under way to ensure enough equipment is available.

Corbyn asks why the government is not prioritising the testing of all NHS staff.

Johnson says they are being prioritised, “for the obvious reason” that the NHS wants them to be able to look after people confident that they will not pass on the diseased.

Testing is being increased from 5,000 a day to 10,000 a day.

Corbyn says sick pay in the UK lags far behind the level in Scandinavian countries. He says you cannot feed a family on £90 a week. Will the PM extend an enhanced statutory sick pay to all workers?

Johnson says the government will ensure that no one is penalised for doing the right thing. He says SSP is normally supplemented by other benefits. Since the state is making these demands of people, it should be doing “whatever it takes” to help.

Jeremy Corbyn starts by paying tribute to the work of those fighting the disease.

He says people on low pay, and small business owners, are worried. He quotes from a letter from someone saying statutory sick pay is not enough.

Johnson starts by thanking Corbyn for the approach taken by the opposition, and its willingness to cooperate with the government.

On SSP, he says it is only right that when the government is asking people to self-isolate, that they should get the support they need.

He says, in addition to the package of business support outlined yesterday, further measures to support workers of all kind will be introduced.

Rob Butler, a Conservative MP, asks Boris Johnson if he can assure people he will do whatever is needed, and spend whatever money is needed, to save lives.

Johnson says the government will do whatever is necessary to help the NHS, and to support the country as a whole.

As our Aamna Mohdin reported earlier that a gin distillery in Scotland is planning to suspend spirit production to make a high strength hand sanitiser instead, beer brand BrewDog has now launched a similar effort.

BrewDog said it is giving the product to those who need it free of charge.

Here is the message to Tory MPs from one of their whips, Stuart Andrew, about avoiding PMQs. This is from HuffPost’s Paul Waugh.

Labour MPs have had a similar message, Waugh reports.

There is a difference, though. The message to Tory MPs says that MPs should only enter the chamber if they are on the order paper (pdf). The Labour one says MPs “seeking to get called” should also attend. During questions in the Commons it is not just MPs who have their name on the order paper who get called. The Speaker tries to alternate between taking a government MP and an opposition MP, and so during PMQs he calls a wider range of MPs than just those named on the order paper. And during departmental questions, after an MP asks a question on the order paper, others are allowed to ask supplementaries on the same topic.

This is from the New Statesman’s Patrick Maguire.

If this rule is enforced, that means the Commons chamber will be practically empty for PMQs. There are only 10 MPs on the order paper (pdf) down to ask a question during Northern Ireland questions at 11.30am, and 15 MPs down to ask a question during PMQs. There are spaces for around 427 MPs in the chamber.

It will certainly change the atmospherics. People have been calling for less rowdiness at PMQs for years, although this is not how anyone wanted it to happen.

Former Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron said he was self-isolating for 14 days due to a family member showing symptoms of coronavirus.

The Westmorland and Lonsdale MP said: “I’m showing no symptoms myself and feel absolutely fine but it’s vital that we all follow the government’s medical advice.”

He said he would be replacing face-to-face advice surgeries with telephone surgeries.

Asda has announced it is restricting all customers to buying up to three items on all food, toiletries and cleaning products amid a surge in demand following the coronavirus outbreak.

The supermarket chain also said it will close its cafes and pizza counters to free space and staff in order to help keep shelves fully stocked.

The retailer has also temporarily reduced the opening hours of all its 24-hour stores, so that they will be closed between 12am and 6am each day for re-stocking.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has announced that his office is contributing £1m to community and voluntary groups affected by coronavirus. It will go into a fund that will be available “to organisations facing immediate financial pressures and uncertainty because of the coronavirus”. These pressures could include “increasing demands for services, higher staff absences, fewer volunteers and lower donations”.

The City Bridge Trust, the charity fund arm of the City of London Corporation, is contributing another £1m, and Khan wants other organisations and central government to contribute too.

The 4:30pm Royal College of Midwives Twitter Q&A on pregnancy and Covid-19 has been postponed for 24 hours, according to PA Media.

As Scottish businesses close up across the nation, some are rapidly adapting to support front line services in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

A gin distillery in Leith announced it would be suspending spirit production and making high-strength hand sanitiser instead in a bid to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Leith Gin said the hand sanitisers will be free and given to those who need it in the local community. The company made a callout for small plastic bottles with pump action tops.

Manorview Group of hotels, including the Torrance in East Kilbride and Boclair House, which suspended businesses following extraordinary advice from the government for people to minimise social contact, offered the use of its rooms to the NHS in case it needs extra capacity. The company announced it would continue paying its entire workforce on 50% wages during the shutdown and will run a delivery service.

In a statement, the company said: “We believe it is the right thing to do, to protect our teams and customers, to look ahead to the future, and hopefully we can all come back from this stronger.

“We regret we are having to make this decision, but the safety and welfare of people is paramount. We are living in unprecedented times.”

The Edinburgh international film festival, due to take place in June, has been suspended.

The organisers say it has not been cancelled outright; they “are looking at which elements of the festival can be delivered later in the year”.

Full statement on their website.

The National Archives is the latest government building to close its doors to the general public in light of the government’s new social distancing advice for the Covid-19 pandemic.

The facility, which makes historic government documents and records available to the public, said in a statement posted on its website that it would be closed “until further notice”, with all events, tours and school visits cancelled until the end of May.

The BBC has suspended filming of EastEnders due to the coronavirus outbreak, and other long-running dramas including Casualty, Doctors and Holby City are taking the same step, as broadcasters face up to the prospect of months of empty schedules.

In an effort to ensure EastEnders remains on air for as long as possible, the BBC will cut the number of episodes broadcast from four to two a week, using already-filmed footage.

A BBC spokesperson said: “In light of the spread of Covid-19, after much consideration it has been decided that filming on EastEnders will be postponed until further notice. The decision was made after the latest government update.

“We will continue to follow the latest news and advice from the World Health Organization and Public Health England. We have also taken the decision to reduce the amount of episodes we broadcast each week to two, so that we can ensure the audience can continue to enjoy EastEnders in their homes for as long as possible.”

Many programmes have been rushing to finish filming before sets are shut down, and thousands of freelance staff in the British television industry are facing loss of work. This week the Guardian revealed that filming on Line of Duty and the new series of Peaky Blinders was suspended.

Loganair is reducing flights by half next month as it brings in an emergency timetable due to the impact of coronavirus, PA Media reports.

The regional airline said forward bookings have fallen by around 75% compared with their usual levels in the last four days.

It will maintain “lifeline services” to the islands, but their frequency will be reduced.

From the end of next week, Loganair will reduce operations from around 214 to 95 scheduled flights each weekday - a cut of 55%.

The airline’s staff have also been asked to consider measures aimed at protecting employment levels, including reducing working hours by 20% and accepting a 20% reduction in salary as a result or taking a period of unpaid leave.

The Millennium Hotel at Stamford Bridge is to be used by NHS medical staff to aid the response to the coronavirus outbreak, Chelsea Football Club has announced.

Club owner Roman Abramovich took the decision after contact with the NHS was made by Chairman Bruce Buck. Abramovich will be covering the costs of providing NHS staff the accommodation.

Chelsea said that providing local accommodation would save the medical staff, who will be working long shifts and may not be able to travel home or would otherwise have to make long commutes, to maintain their health and well-being at this critical time.

The club said the arrangement would be for a two-month period, and then reconsidered in light of circumstances at the time. NHS staff will be those working in hospitals in the north-west London region, but that may extend to hospitals in other districts.

The number of rooms utilised will depend on demand but potentially all the rooms in the Millennium Hotel could be given over for this purpose. No staff showing symptoms will use the hotel.

Millennium Hotels and Resorts, who manage the hotel, are supportive and assisting the club in providing this service to the NHS.

The Catholic church in Scotland has suspended all public masses due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A statement from the country’s bishops said that priests will continue to celebrate mass in private with “the particular intention of praying for those suffering from Covid-19 and those who care for them”.

Churches will remain open for personal prayer and the bishops encouraged parishioners to make donations to charities online.

The statement added:

As government advice changes, we will update our guidance accordingly in the hope of restoring the public celebration of Mass. In the meantime, please ensure that no one feels abandoned in our communities and do what you can in practical terms to help those who are alone.

The Design Museum in London has closed to the public until further notice, in line with guidance on the Covid-19 outbreak.

Its temporary exhibitions Electronic: From Kraftwerk To The Chemical Brothers and Sneakers Unboxed: Studio To Street, which were due to open in April and May, have been postponed.

Food chains are offering free drinks and discounts to NHS staff amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

McDonald’s said all emergency services personnel and health and social workers in the UK would be able to collect free drinks at all restaurants while government guidance allows them to stay open.

The chain’s restaurants are to become takeaways, drive-thrus and delivery operations as the company attempts to cope with the outbreak.

This morning, the official Pret Twitter account said hot drinks would be “on the house” for all employees with a valid NHS staff card, and discounts are being offered on food.

While its houses, cafes and shops will close this week, in line with government guidance on social distancing, the National Trust has said it aims to keep many of its parks and gardens open for free “so the nation can use open spaces to relax and refresh”.

The National Trust is planning to keep its parks and gardens open free of charge amid the coronavirus outbreak, though its buildings will be closed to the public, the Press Association reports. Following the PM’s advice for the public to avoid mass gatherings and observe social distancing, the National Trust took the decision to close pay-for-entry sites including houses, cafes and shops by this Friday. But the charity said it will keep as many of its gardens and parklands open free of charge to encourage people to enjoy open space during the period of social distancing.

Hilary McGrady, the charity’s director general, said:

Over the coming weeks we will do all that we can to keep on providing public benefit through caring for places and giving people access wherever possible.

While we will close our indoor areas to help fight the spread of coronavirus, we recognise that people are likely to need access to open space.

Talking of trade unions, Len McCluskey, the Unite general secretary and one of the most powerful figures in Labour politics, is self-isolating. He posted this on Twitter yesterday.

The Scottish Trades Union Congress has also argued that Rishi Sunak’s £350bn loans/grants package for business does not go far enough. Rozanne Foyer, its incoming general secretary told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland:

We’ve been talking to government and telling them this is a jobs crisis for weeks now, and frankly this is too little too late for our members who have already been laid off and lost their jobs.

The government isn’t doing whatever it takes to encourage employers to keep folk on the payroll and protect and save jobs.

The Royal College of Midwives Twitter Q&A on pregnancy and coronavirus flagged up in the agenda has now been postponed until tomorrow.

Here is a question from below the line worth addressing here.

Stowaways

18 March 2020 9:21am

Andrew, any news coming on if there will be special/different measures that the government is going to recommend in high density population areas such as London, Birmingham etc. Seems like there is an increased risk in these area as social distancing is a lot harder.
Keep up the good work spans stay safe everyone!

At no point have ministers suggested that social distancing measures will be introduced on a regional-specific basis. All the advice has been for the UK as a whole.

In his statement on Monday Boris Johnson did advise people in London to take particular care. He said:

And it’s now clear that the peak of the epidemic is coming faster in some parts of the country than in others.

And it looks as though London is now a few weeks ahead.

So, to relieve the pressure on the London health system and to slow the spread in London, it’s important that Londoners now pay special attention to what we are saying about avoiding non-essential contact, and to take particularly seriously the advice about working from home, and avoiding confined spaces such as pubs and restaurants.

But, in saying this, Johnson was effectively implying that it was not so important for people outside London to take the advice about avoiding non-essential contact “particularly seriously”. Of course that wasn’t his intention, but that is a consequence of the way the government has been trying to adjust its advice for particular groups without being overly prescriptive.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies, the public spending thinktank, issued its own assessment of Rishi Sunak’s £350bn support package for business yesterday. Like the CBI, it thinks the chancellor needs to go further. This is from Paul Johnson, the IFS’s director.

The support through business rates holidays and payments is targeted directly at the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors many of which will be suffering a lot, especially in light of yesterday’s new announcements discouraging people from patronising such businesses. This is a substantial level of support. However, it is probably not well targeted at saving jobs in those industries. It will remain as expensive to pay people and if demand is down then jobs are likely to go. Supporting employment might require a targeted package which included targeted cuts to employer national insurance contributions, a delay in increases to the national living wage, and increased support for individuals through universal credit. Government might also want to facilitate people being able to move into jobs where there is now much greater demand – delivery drivers and warehouse workers for example – in a way which allows them to return easily to their original jobs once the crisis is over.

Firms outside the leisure and hospitality sector have not been targeted with this additional direct support. Many of them may face similar problems of reduced demand, or problems resulting from fewer employees able to work.

As the chancellor said, more measures are likely to be necessary.

The Department of Health and Social Care has issued some guidance about ibuprofen and coronavirus.

Good morning. As Heather Stewart reports in the Guardian’s overnight splash, Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, yesterday announced a £350bn package of loans and grants (£330bn in loan guarantees, £20bn in grants and other handouts) to help businesses struggling as the economy grinds to a halt. Judging by today’s front pages, national newspaper coverage is generally positive, but this morning the CBI, the country’s biggest business organisation, joined the Labour party in saying this did not go far enough.

In an interview with the Today programme Carolyn Fairbairn, the CBI director general, said Sunak had announced a “serious and massive package of measures”, but she said firms needed help now to allow them to keep people in work. She said:

The absolute top priority right now is for businesses to be able to keep their people in jobs, in employment, and we think there needs to be more on that.

Fairbairn said the CBI wanted the government to use the national insurance system to pump money into companies. Instead of paying national insurance, they would get a cheque for “reverse national insurance” from the government. She explained:

This is about using existing systems, it’s all about speed. So the thought that we have put to the chancellor is to reverse national insurance contributions - not just defer or cancel them, but actually get the flow working in the other direction.

Fairbairn said a similar system was operating in Germany.

We have a very well functioning national insurance system; reverse it, to enable businesses to make that judgment about whether to keep people or not keep them. This will be a very quick measures to introduce.

She also suggested that VAT bills should be deferred.

There are some very large tax bills hitting companies in the next few weeks. We have a £35bn VAT bill. This is an immediate impact; it doesn’t require businesses to apply for anything. So looking at the tax bills, and seeing if they can be cancelled or deferred.

This will not come as a surprise to Sunak, who said yesterday that he would be announcing employment support measures and that he was still working on the details with employers and unions. This morning Alok Sharma, the business secretary, said this would be ready “very soon”.

From today Politics Live will be a bit different because we will be covering all UK coronavirus developments here, and not just Westminster politics. We will still be covering all the latest political news too, but for the foreseeable future politics will be dominated by coronavirus. My colleague Lucy Campbell will be contributing to the blog too.

Here is the agenda for the day.

12pm: Boris Johnson faces Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs.

After 12.30pm: MPs debate two Labour motions relating to coronavirus, on statutory sick pay and on local government.

2.15pm: Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, gives evidence to the Commons Treasury committee.

2.45pm: Police chiefs give evidence to the Commons home affairs committee about coronavirus preparedness.

4.30pm: The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOGl host a live Twitter Q&A on pregnancy and the coronavirus.

Afternoon: The government holds its daily coronavirus press conference.

You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here and here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news.

If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow and Lucy is on @lucy_campbell_.

I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.

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