it's a few people out but let's face it
it's far from a normal Friday night
truth is though even these people won't
have a choice in where to go
come tomorrow but while the Prime
Minister is shutting all the other bars
the Chancellor is opening the nation's
purse strings and he's opening them wide
let's bring into context it's only nine
days since his coronavirus budget it's
only three days since he announced
buying a financial boost to their to the
UK economy of three hundred and fifty
billion pounds and that still wasn't
enough
late last night he was cutely aware this
late last night he was locked in talks
with business leaders with union leaders
and they were demanding it still weren't
too sure what they were going to get
this afternoon they found out the
government came out and they announced
the mantra imagine we're gonna hear much
more of over the coming year they will
do whatever it takes it was always a
case of when not if really there may be
few people on the streets it still few
too many and so today the inevitable but
on a scale far greater than most
expected following an agreement between
all the four nations of the United
Kingdom all the devolved
administration's we are collectively
telling telling cafes pubs bars and
restaurants to close tonight as soon as
they reasonably can and not to open
tomorrow nightclubs theaters gyms
leisure centres also shutting down and
the Prime Minister warned there should
be no last hurrah listening to what I
have just said some people may of course
be tempted to go out tonight and I say
to you please don't but the trade-off
for the health of the nations so far has
been trade itself and thousands of
companies are staring into the abyss
even ones that have stood strong for
four generations and this is Mother's
Day weekend mostly I'm guessing that's
not only quite a big one for you yeah we
should be we should be absolutely packed
and
and we're 20% occupancy the empty
restaurant the untouched Keys the beds
that don't need to be made can only last
so long
we've got people who've been here 30
years 30 years possibly it's very hard
it's very hard but in answer to the tea
spilt all over the nation today came a
raft of financial measures from a
fledgling Chancellor on an unprecedented
scale Ricci sooner began this afternoon
by detailing his coronavirus job
retention scheme any employer in the
country
small or large charitable or nonprofit
will be eligible for the scheme
employers will be able to contact HMRC
for a grant to cover most of the wages
of people who are not working but are
furloughed and kept on payroll
rather than being laid off government
grants will cover 80 percent of the
salary of retained workers up to a total
of 2,500 pounds a month I am placing no
limit on the amount of funding available
for the scheme and there was more I'm
deferring the next quarter of v80
payments that means no business will pay
nav 80 from now until the end of June
and you'll have until the end of the
financial year to repay those bills that
is a direct injection of over 30 billion
pounds of cash to businesses equivalent
to one and a half percent of GDP to
strengthen the safety net I'm increasing
today the universal credit standard
allowance for the next 12 months by
1,000 pounds a year and for the
self-employed it was announced self
assessment payment will be deferred
until 2021 for the nation a bailout of
in limited size in Worthing unparalleled
relief it's incredible I didn't think it
would be anywhere near that figure 80
percent that's
that's a huge help yeah exactly yeah we
can keep people on people who've been
here for years people who haven't done
anything wrong but wouldn't have a job
the doors here will soon be closing but
safe and the knowledge that one staff
will be paid and two they'll be able to
open again one day the Prime Minister
may have got a grip now on social
distancing at pubs clubs and restaurants
at supermarkets there is still much to
do for today though it was future queues
outside job centers the government was
fighting not present ones outside shops
well the real verdict is still out these
announcements at times specifically a
five o'clock so they can't affect the
stock market there's no instant shop
we'll find out from that on Monday
morning we have had some reaction though
from the Labour Shadow Chancellor John
McDonald he said that these pledges
don't go far enough business group so
have widely welcomed them the CBI said
this is a landmark package for business
people and jobs but what they have been
welcomed there is a sense now of these
packages are so big if they fail to
stimulate the economy just what will one
last camera hope they before you leave
me for this evening supermarkets for
nowt there they are trying to recruit
16,000 people to cope with the vast
demand they've seen over the last few
days Paul McNamara well joining me now
Michael Smith who leads a business
organization of over 500 pubs
restaurants and shops in South London
and Josh Hardy is the deputy
director-general of the Confederation of
British industry let me begin with you
Michael first of all I mean how far do
these measures go to helping the people
you work with I think businesses are
looking at these measures as one word
that they used today was radical that
they were very radical the very radical
approach to the problem other businesses
are saying that a good government did a
really good job they are looking at the
government as having listened and went
away changed things came back so there's
a general air of satisfaction
but in your organizations how many
people are employees and therefore
covered by these measures announced
tonight and how many will be more casual
workers who may just be laid off in
bricks that we've got a lot of pubs and
clubs and and here yes there are lots of
casual employees but people run lots of
clear white stuff so people who are very
very emotional at last week about having
to lips off though so this is a big
guarantee for everybody there's a better
sense of the fact that you cannot retain
stuff for much longer because although
we're in the midst of the problem people
are also thinking of what happens at the
end of this how do we how do we really
light the flame and get going again so
people want to keep trusted and trusted
stop stop that being with them for 20 30
years stuff you know the routine they
don't want to be starting again from
scratch and this is offering businesses
a chance to do that let me bring in Josh
Hardy but Michael stay with us if you
will Josh what do you make of this
package of measures announced tonight
does it do enough does it bring
confidence to business well I mean
you've seen on the report earlier just
that the sheer emotion the employers are
feeling we're feeling about the risk of
having to let people go large-scale and
I think the reason we call this landmark
armed intervention is because it does
lift a lot of that tension the number of
employees and employers the number of
businesses that I've had on the phone
since that announcement saying this
enables us to keep people on it was
absolutely critical you have to
understand the sort of the scale of
things that were coming to realize just
how important this is now of course it
doesn't solve anything I'm not sure
anything it doesn't solve everything I'm
not sure where anything can at the
moment I'm but it makes a really big
difference and it is the beginning I've
asked planning our way out to the other
side building in their economic
resilience and minimizing wherever
possible the impact on livelihood so
it's very very welcome do you think
there needs to be more I think what
right now this was this was a globally
leading it
um it genuinely helps the the instant
decisions that businesses are having to
make I think look just as with the
health elements um this virus is going
to to carry on and there are going to be
wider implications we need to look for
example at the self-employed possibly
even more than the Chancellor has done
today although there were some good
measures there so of course there would
be more that could be needed um but this
was a very very strong day and a very
strong start
now obviously you don't represent them
but I mean you know you mentioned
self-employed workers there are millions
of people working in the gig economy now
who's gonna help them well I think some
days this did help on the self-employed
- it to a large degree by suspending the
minimum income floor but yes it may be
as we move through that more is needed
it's very very complicated I as I said
again the scale of the crisis here not
just in the UK but around the world
means it's not gonna be possible to make
sure everything is okay but this was a
big step forward let's what what it's
done is it has helped business and
government to really work hand in hand
we've been hand in glove with the Trib
the Treasury for the last few days
trying to work this out if we carry that
on then I think we will be able to be
more competent that we can solve those
additional issues in the future people
have been asking for v80 to be written
off through a period tonight we heard
that it will be deferred but the bills
will still have to be paid overtime you
know could could could the Chancellor do
more on that look cash is king at the
moment and I have to say deferring VOT
is makes a huge difference because yes
accessing loans is available but that
can be difficult yes the the income
support element but it will take a
little bit time to come through so
freeing up that cash at the moment is
vital now it is a deferral but that
believe me that is that is good and that
will make a difference of course we can
talk about could it be more could it be
grander but the amount of money that has
been invested just now I think we've got
it we've got to take what we've got and
use that to protect people's jobs
because that's what every business is
focusing on at the moment let me put
that back to to Michael Smith now we
said you represent about 500
organization
do you think they're going to stay in
business as a result of the measures
announced so far or do you think there
will be closures there will be closures
I'm sure there will be but it's giving
more businesses a better chance to stay
in business there are some big takeaways
today deferred rent this for dat so
these were some of things that we are
looking at there's more to think about
people have to think about insurance
there's it's not clear about insurance
when you have an economy that when you
have a lot of sound technicians and
musicians unlikely people there are lots
of free learn stuff and you're not quite
sure what something good and you will
need them and if you do so there some
some things to take away I think what
it's going to be good is that the
weekend will give people a chance to
think about things okay so they'll get
chance to think and come away with more
questions and and try and find more
answers but the key thing it is trying
to keep as many businesses afloat as
possible Michael and Josh thank you both
very much indeed for joining us tonight
Matt now the NHS already under pressure
faces an unprecedented situation north
weak Park Hospital in London decayed a
critical incident due to a surge in a
number of coronavirus patients last
night prompting concerns across the
country about hospitals ability to cope
in the days and weeks ahead later that
status was reduced our health and social
care correspondent victoria mcdonald was
given access to a hospital in southwest
London today that has recently taken in
their first coronavirus patients they're
getting ready for more it's quiet here
in Kingston hospital's intensive care
unit the first coronavirus patients have
been admitted but not in huge numbers
the staff joke the locals must be
washing their hands better than the rest
of London yet they are looking to just a
few miles up the road to north work Park
last night they declared a critical
incident they had no more space they had
to ask for help
is preparing I've been in close
communication actually basically
providing information through social
media to warn us to get ready and
prepared for this eventuality where
we've got to have this huge surge in
capacity and intensive care bed
they've divided this intensive care unit
in half through that window of five
patients was covered 19 a disease nobody
had heard of just a few weeks ago a
virus that hadn't been identified just
months ago now it's here and southwest
London at Kingston Hospital they've had
18 patients so far one had to be
transferred to the Royal Brompton to be
put on ECMO for heart and lung support
we've been granted exclusive access to
this phase 1 part of their covered 19
escalation plan this is an ICU bed with
the ventilator they have 15 of these we
could surge to 35 ventilated beds at the
moment as we stand
obviously with supportive staff moving
around and getting additional staff in
as well is that enough
35 ventilators we're being asked to
prepare by the network to SuperSearch
and if we're looking at our plans at the
moment it would be to try to SuperSearch
to about 94 ventilated beds that means
getting the equipment in of course and
they have been assured it will arrive
and they will need more staff who will
also have to be trained for the
different types of ventilation what
about the personal protective equipment
there have been concerns recently about
keeping our stock levels of PPE up but I
understand and I'm reassured by the
network again that there is centrally
central stores of their PPE equipment
and that they're working on that the
issues may have been around the delivery
to the Trust's I think there is central
control on this equipment now and we
would hope and expect that that won't be
an issue what is different about this
pandemic is the share amount of
information they have access to not
least coming out of Italy the clinical
lessons learned are coming through and
our tertiary centers are studying this
clinical information that's coming out
and then cascading clinical information
down through the network to us so that
we're up to date with any potential
treatment options or ways to treat these
patients differently because this is a
new disease we move down the corridor to
one of the operating theaters non-urgent
surgery is being cancelled and space as
being freed up this ward and one next
door are being prepared as we speak for
the surge out of intensive care where
all those beds are full their be brought
here the ventilators are ready when
these wards are full they will use the
operating theaters but from this weekend
they will also have a live board that
will tell them whether a spare capacity
in other hospitals in southwest London
everyone is working together locally
regionally nationally and London that
matters more than ever the outbreak is
far worse than the capital i'm visit we
will have to be flexible around how we
deploy resources our situation emerges
there is clear guidance that comes down
through the network which will interpret
but on visit we will have to to consider
that in due course
you look very calm I feel quite calm I
feel very well supported by my executive
colleagues who are amazing and the
entire workforce here are just
outstanding it does feel very much like
we're in it together and we will
absolutely do our best to ensure that we
continue to live a great care to
patients
nobody is under any illusions here this
is they know the calm before the storm
we are all unsettled by what might be
about to happen over the next month two
months but we would be very foolish not
to take the experience of Italy and
China and act and be ready and prepared
and that's what we're all trying to do
as rapidly in as calmly as we can so
that we can attempt to give this service
to people
we're going to need it Victoria
MacDonald but that report
well it's emerged of the West Midland is
a covered nineteen hot spot the
government is currently investigating
why there's been a sharp rise in the
number of cases in that area twenty
eight patients have died from the virus
in the area putting it second only to
London
Jane dthe is outside New Cross Hospital
in Wolverhampton Jane yes Matt this
hospital is part of the Royal
Wolverhampton Trust which sadly
according to the latest figures we know
has seen the deaths of nine people who
had tested positive for coronavirus and
if you take the neighboring trusts
that's Dudley and West Birmingham
they've seen seven and five deaths
respectively now these patients were
older and mostly had other health
problems so perhaps not unexpected but
clearly something is happening here
there have been more deaths than any
other part of the country except London
the health secretary Matt Hancock saying
this morning that this is a hotspot but
he doesn't know why but his teams are
looking very very closely at this area
looking at the cluster to see if they
can see any patterns in the transmission
of this virus public health England
reportedly saying they're very keen to
understand what's happening in
Wolverhampton and Dudley they have some
hypotheses there's been mention of the
fact that both areas do have some levels
of deprivation also interestingly here
in Wolverhampton the authorities are now
writing to faith leaders asking them to
make sure they close places of worship
and this trust is now routinely testing
anyone with respiratory symptoms for
kovat 19 of course Boris Johnson said
again today in his press conference that
testing is key to turning the tide on
this virus but interestingly they've
been delays here people waiting at home
to find out if they're positive being
made to wait as they test the sickest
patients but I'm told that here they are
now taking advantage of national testing
capacity and the overdue tests will be
processed this weekend
Jane D thanks very much indeed well now
to discuss the details of the
being given to the government on how to
tackle the corona virus outbreak is
Victoria MacDonald and Victoria we saw
some extraordinary preparation going on
in that piece that you just sent but
what else have you learned today well
the government has all the way along
promised to be open and transparent
about the advice and the scientific
modeling behind the reasons they are
telling us to self isolate or stand you
know two metres apart or whatever and
you know I've never known anything like
us I mean we have had really good access
to really good information in the daily
briefings today was all this
mathematical and behavioral modeling and
what we learned is that social isolation
measures might need to be in place for
most of the year to control the spread
which is a bit depressing but they did
say just to give you a little bit of
hope that some of the severity of the
measures could alternate so you have
some strict and then ease up a bit but
this is an imprecise science even they
would admit it so we're talking about
social distancing school closures
household isolation and saying that that
have to be kept in place for a long time
one other piece of advice is that they
don't think that there's going to be any
mass rioting you'll be pleased to hear
and they start to release yes I thought
so and then they said actually that you
what they will see is an escalation of
altruism but they also said public
disorder amid epidemics is usually
triggered by perceptions about the
government response and that puts a
great weight upon the Prime Minister's
shoulders all about the words now you
told us you're getting a lot of
information but there's some information
you're not getting yes we're very
frustrated by this what we have seen
around the world particularly from China
and Italy is daily figures of the people
going into hospital where they are in
ICU we have been asking for a week now
how many people in hospital how many
people in intensive care how many in
critical care was how many in wards and
they are just not telling us and we feel
we're not getting the full picture of
what's happening in our hospitals
Victoria thanks very much indeed well
joining me now from Colchester is Ruth
Mei who's chief nursing officer of NHS
England and from Westminster goodI Singh
in
NHS doctor thanks both of you for coming
on the program let me start with you
Ruth may I mean when you've seen
pictures of people you know going to the
pub going to the cinema going to
restaurants and finally tonight they've
been told that happy hour is over does
it make you angry that these measures
weren't put in place earlier well first
of all let me say a big thank you to all
of the staff that's working in every
corner of this country working very very
hard to provide the patient care that
they need but also for preparing for the
surge that we know we're going to have
this is the greatest the biggest global
healthcare challenge that we've ever
faced certainly in my career and indeed
probably in the history of the NHS and
so that's why today we have written out
to former nurses and doctors to ask them
to come back because we need them in our
NHS it's also why the message is very
clear for all parts we've all got a part
to play in this the message is very
clear please wash your hands please stay
at home and take the use the advice and
take the advice and use the NHS with
responsibility but do you think that
we've missed an opportunity here that
although these are you know pretty
comprehensive measures announced tonight
it should have happened perhaps a week
ago or maybe even two weeks ago when
other European countries were doing the
same and those two weeks could have
allowed to spread the virus to spread
that much further I'm very clear that
we're taking the advice to very senior
scientific guys and very senior medical
and all clinicians in this and I have
absolute confidence in the advice of our
chief medical officer when let's make
sure that we all pay our part in making
sure that we wash our hands absolutely
could stay safe either and making sure
that we use the NHS sensibly Ruth you
mentioned the fact that you know nurses
retired nurses are being asked to come
back and help but are they worried about
doing that when there simply isn't
enough protective equipment around to
keep them safe
I've lost you so yes retired nurses are
coming back and I'm really delighted
that the response so far we're wanting
to ensure that our nurses and midwives
come back and we will look after you
we'll make sure we pay you and we
absolutely want to encourage all nurses
and doctors that were former nurses and
doctors to come back into our NHS right
I hope you can hear me now Ruth um okay
the question really was I mean are you
happy with the amount of protective
equipment not just for nurses coming out
of retirement but for all nurses
protective equipment PPE is really
important for all of our staff
absolutely important and we're wanting
to make sure we step up our delivery to
ensure that all of our hospitals are
have all the necessary equipment in a
timely matter I know that our Secretary
of State's Matt Hancock announced
earlier today that $150 went 150
hospitals overnight to ensure that they
had that PPE we are stepping up our
offer we're stepping up our actions to
ensure that all people all people have
the ability to have PP okay Ruth if I
could ask you to stay though I just want
to bring him good he's saying good you
see you just heard what Ruth May had to
say are you encouraged by her relative
optimism about the situation I have to
say that I'm not encouraged by what has
just been said and that's because the
reality on the ground does not match
what is being said up there in an hire
policy level and it's important to
understand why this is you know this
it's terrifying being a health worker on
the ground right now and that's because
actually when it comes to PPE for
instance it's not actually being
delivered to us down on the ground you
only have to hear reports from my fellow
colleagues from across the country who
are treating Kovac patients right now
and there are severe shortages of PPE
right across the board but more
importantly than that the NHS itself is
just not ready to deal with the surge of
patients that we are going to be
expected to see and more than that as
health professionals we have not been
equipped to be able to deal with what's
what's coming and I think that's what's
really worrying about all of this so do
you think that we're going to look like
Italy does today in two weeks time
absolutely and really if you we know
what's happening we've seen what's
happened in China we've seen what's
happened in
Italy and in Spain to be honest I think
that what's going what's been happening
there will probably be on our shores
within a couple of weeks it's not a
matter of days we've already heard that
the caseload is doubling every few days
we are already at capacity in the NHS
the NHS has been weakened by ten years
of austerity and cuts we have the lowest
intensive care rate of beds and in
Europe so we are already in a weakened
state and we're already at capacity so
you can only imagine the kinds of things
that are going to be happening in the
next couple of weeks and it will be
frontline workers who will be having to
deal with with the worst of it can I
just go back to Ruth if I could Ruth
you heard goody sing there and I also
want to just float this fact past you so
in Germany there are almost 30 ICU beds
per 100,000 of the population in this
country
it's 6.6 ICU beds per 100,000 it's just
not enough my colleague that joins you a
moment ago is right that we are having
severe pressures and the NHS will come
under real challenge no health system in
the globe it's going to be able to be
able to react like this and mother one
just trying to say is that I know our
nurses our doctors our technicians on
the frontline are working extraordinary
hard which I'm grateful for
we do need to step up our efforts on PPE
but equally we want to make sure that we
bring back our nurses former nurses and
doctors to help us to support our
colleagues and also to make sure that
our members of the public do indeed make
sure they wash their hands they stay at
home and indeed they use the NHS
responsibly good I think just finally I
briefly at this stage whatever mistakes
might have been made in the past we just
have to work together and get this done
we really have no other choice do we
you're absolutely right that we have no
other choice but I think you know the
government will need to look at what
they have done in terms of the amount of
stress and anxiety that has been caused
not just to health professionals but to
the public the public have a right to
know what is really happening on the
ground they have a right to know that
the NHS is not in safe hands at the
moment what is really troubling to me as
a health professional is that I do not
feel safe to go into work and
I do not feel adequately protected but
it's not just me it's all of my
colleagues and what is really really
really the worst part of all of this is
that I do not even feel that it is my
patients are going to be safe and that's
because we do not have enough personal
protective equipment and in an NHS that
has been underfunded and under-resourced
for ten years there isn't the capacity
to train us to give us the trait the the
protection that we need and so we're in
a situation where actually we're walking
sleepwalking into a hurricane and I
don't think the public of being given
that message enough to leave a damn
afraid goodie sing and with me thank you
very much indeed to both of you now the
holidays came early for many children
today's schools were forced to close to
prevent the spread of the virus the
closure is at this stage indefinite and
it won't affect the children if key
workers will still be able to attend but
the closures pose a challenge for
parents and carers how to ensure
children continue to learn and your pop
has been to me family began the home
schooling journey this week sab has
these waivers occurs every time he's
good he gets away most a cap for most
children up and down the UK this is the
new reality as schools close their doors
today families like the Lanier's prepare
to learn from home for the foreseeable
future
they began homeschooling earlier this
week and how's it going Philippines what
I fear is you might end up in a few
weeks very anxious parents with very
anxious children who are cooped up in
the houses because it can't go out we
are we are lucky we've got a little bit
of outdoor space as UK tries to contain
the spread of kovat 19 many families now
face having to work and teach children
all from their home I can find quiet
spot and I can just focus my work that
would be great it must be really
daunting for parents to have to cope
with everything else and on top of that
to home-school and and you know like
even though I'm a teacher is is tricky
to do three different ages at the same
time so fear is in the last year of
primary school she now faces the real
possibility that she might not go back
I've been trying to concentrate but my
brother my sister they've been like
running around and yeah monkeys and so
I'm up in my room on my desk trying to
do the work and that also you you miss
your friends cuz friends aren't allowed
to come over because of the coronavirus
you don't want it to spread not all
children will be at home early this
morning the government published its
much-anticipated list of key workers who
could still send their children to
school if they had no other provision
the list of key workers includes
teachers and nursery staff those working
in emergency services or social care in
the production or distribution of food
people working in local or national
government or in transport charity
workers people working in banks or for
utility companies Bing collectors postal
workers and funeral directors a sobering
nod to the reality of what we're facing
and the list goes on outside of school
indeed spring parents pick their
children up from their last day of
normality well I will only have to lose
two of them but three I mean all the
things I expect you to do Plus work
remotely it's going to be tricky
looking at our school now I would not
send my child in because they are under
pressure and that's just going to add to
the pressure by bringing more children
in Felicity is a teacher herself the
realities of what today brings is a lot
to comprehend I'm feeling very emotional
because I feel for all the children but
only in the secondary school setting
particularly but also in a primary
school setting that school provides so
much so many children and I feel for the
exam glasses that I wouldn't get the
result that they have worked really hard
for no one denies that this big step is
needed but for those children teachers
and parents who know they may not be in
the classroom until the autumn it's
almost too big a moment to comprehend