twelve weeks to turn the tide was Boris
Johnson's message at today's Downing
Street press conference but he said that
the buyers would only be sent packing in
his words if the public followed medical
advice on social distancing despite
images showing that was not happening on
some busy tube trains and streets in
London there were no extra restrictions
on travel or gatherings for the capital
he promised businesses desperate for
help in paying their workers that they
would have more information tomorrow and
appealed to them to stand by their
employees the Bank of England took its
own action cutting interest rates to a
record low 0.1 percent our political
editor Gary Gibbon is in Westminster
Gary as you say we got some pretty big
moments today the Bank of England
decision extraordinary stuff we got 350
pages worth of emergency legislation
which gives extraordinary powers to the
government to detain people with
symptoms of covert 19 for up to six
weeks to ban events to compel different
organizations within the food chain to
behave in in certain ways we got all of
that but in some ways what people were
focusing on was what we didn't get there
was an expectation that maybe we'd find
out what you might call the sort of
reserved occupations were the people
who'd be entitled to a place in
especially kept open schools for their
children we didn't get what was much
hoped for not least by quite a lot of
Tory MPs but also people in business and
employees which was what's gonna happen
to try and keep people in their jobs
when employers feel they have no option
but to shed them right now that news is
promised tomorrow and we didn't get what
was also expected maybe some sort of
ratcheting up of how life is lived in
London which as you see from those
images and images in this report it
doesn't look as though it has actually
dramatically changed and then we had a
press conference with Boris Johnson the
regular daily one now in which this man
who in some ways has a duty now to
create a bit of anxiety in the
population because that's the way to get
people to change their behavior
slightly reverted to the mr. feel-good
politician he described himself as
someone who believes in boosterism who
likes to put out an optimistic message
and there will be a question in some
people's minds as to whether that was
quite the right message for this moment
it might change tomorrow but this is how
this extraordinary day in the
all-engulfing crisis went south London
lunchtime today business pretty much as
usual exactly what the government didn't
want the Prime Minister today emphasized
now the country might get through this
if people obey the instructions to keep
their distance from each other and
change their habits he said he would use
tougher powers if necessary but the time
was not yet it's vital that people
follow that advice and and and there's
huge evidence that they are in in the
takings in the in the retail sector the
hospitality sector TfL in Inner London
down about 80 percent in in Ireland and
down about 60 percent but some evidence
that in some parts of the of the capital
it's it's very patchy and some some
areas where people aren't perhaps
following it in quite the way that we
need them to do although some at the top
of the NHS despair of scenes like these
on the London Tube Network this morning
a ripe environment for transmission of
the disease the Prime Minister after two
days of extraordinary announcements on
economic policy and closing schools
seemed to fill this was the moment for a
more upbeat message I believe that a
combination of the measures that we're
asking the public to take and better
testing scientific progress will enable
us to get on top of it within the next
12 weeks and and turn the tide that I
don't want to sound um you know I'm
often accused of being unnecessarily
booster ish about things and I certainly
don't want to strike that note today but
I genuinely think that we buy the
combination of these two things we will
turn the tide and we will get through it
on the government did unveil a bill
giving it extraordinary emergency powers
including the powder to tain those with
symptoms of the virus for up to six
weeks and other powers to ban events
compel food distribution and much more
the Bank of England hit the emergency
button for the second time in eight days
another interest rate cut 2.1 percent a
wafer above zero the lowest rate since
the bank was founded in 1694 it also
announced it would buy 200 billion
pounds of government debt the prime
minister urged businesses not to lay off
their workforces
knowing many are on the brink of doing
just that my message to two companies is
is really think very carefully before
you you start laying off your staff we
do want to stand behind good companies
we do want to make sure that people
recognize that if they stand behind
their staff they should stand behind
their stuff because we in the government
are going to stand behind British firms
in the Commons Tory MPs lined up to
demand the government go much further
immediately some calling on the
government to pay troubled employers a
big chunk of their workers salaries to
keep them on the books on Tuesday the
Chancellor promised that there would be
employment support but as each day goes
by businesses are making decisions that
will be irreversible if the government
does not act immediately large numbers
of people will be unemployed following
yesterday's announcement of school
closures there's no official word yet
about what will happen about exams due
to be sat in England and Wales in May
and June but they will probably follow
Scotland's announcement their exams will
be cancelled and pupils assessed on past
performance I anticipate that this model
will use coursework teacher assessments
of estimated grades and prior attainment
as the basis of certification in order
for such an approach to be effective the
Scottish qualifications Authority will
require relevant units to be completed
and coursework and teacher estimates of
grades to be submitted by the agreed
deadlines or indeed sooner where that is
possible
the Queen following government advice to
the over 70s to avoid non-essential
contact left Buckingham Palace for
Windsor we're staffing numbers have been
reduced in a statement she said many of
us will need to find new ways of staying
in touch with each other and making sure
that loved ones are safe I'm certain we
are up to that challenge you can be
assured that my family and I stand ready
to play her part misty yeah positive
okay we don't deserve Michele Bonnie you
brexit negotiator announced he had
covered 19 the virus is infected or
distracted some brexit officials on both
sides of the channel it's not known when
they'll be able to meet again like this
or if the end-of-year talks deadline
will have to be extended those working
in the NHS will be hoping that the Prime
Minister's optimistic turning the tide
message reinforces rather than weakens
the stay home and social distancing
messages vital to limiting the covert 19
death toll carry given now the Bank of
England has cut interest rates to their
lowest ever and is pumping more money
into the economy to try to stop the
panic on the financial markets but will
that be enough to save businesses our
chief correspondent Alex Thompson has
been speaking to retailers about how
they are handling the impact of the
virus on their businesses
this morning just as business leaders
were calling for an immediate emergency
postponement of tax and national
insurance payments Haku sands North
London publishing business was coming to
terms with losing 90 percent of its
income in just the past week glossy
brochures are gone and virus information
Flyers don't fill the void we print for
a lot of the hotels at West End we print
for schools and we print for corporate
clients as soon as the Prime Minister's
announcement came out last week in
regards to avoiding bars the phone
starts nearby on the Seven Sisters Road
walk into any non-food retailer and
you'll get the same UK story 12 o clock
is not coming customer isn't anyone 30 I
didn't see the customer and should be if
it's like that we closed it Muhammad's
family business has been here almost a
decade nobody saw anything
anything like this coming 80% customer
gone 80% sales are going down I don't
know what happened so how as a retailer
do you cope with that
80% of your customers gone it's very
difficult we can't say anything
let's see appearances can of course be
deceptive but I suspect what is
happening here today on the Seven
Sisters Road in North London it's
happening on High Street right across
the UK on the face of it things are busy
there are a lot of people about but
they're pretty much all doing one thing
going to the food shops they line up
outside supermarkets limiting numbers
inside because of the panic buying
ominously market traders told us the
wholesale shortages are happening and
price hikes on fruit and veg as a result
we're asking something that you've done
we sell for two pounds to 350 they
haven't got the money but they're
finding the money because all the
pressures going on the panic and all
around mixed messages on public health
for the public shelters charity shop is
open
nextdoor the British Heart Foundation
charity shop closed on public health
grounds Alex Thompson reporting well we
asked the government for an interview
but unfortunately no ministers were
available but joining me now from
Westminster is the Conservative MP and
former business secretary J Greg Clark
Greg thanks for coming on the program
the minister try to sound upbeat and
optimistic today and he said that
businesses have to stand by their
employees but how can businesses do that
if banks don't stand by the businesses
well it's a very serious situation for
businesses as your report showed if
they're losing 80 percent of their sales
and in some cases more they have a real
decision to make that which they're
making now as to whether to to get rid
of their employees these are people who
will need when we recover from this
crisis it's no fault of theirs that the
crisis has happened and my view is that
the government not the banks not just
the banks but the government needs to
act to make sure that we hang on to the
to the businesses and the employees
within them and how do they do that well
it's it's necessary for in the absence
of revenues for people to have money to
to pay their employees and the
government should provide that and it
needs to provide it now
now is the getting towards the end of
the month when the payroll happens now
is when people are being lost they will
have to to go on Social Security and
that will be terrible for them and and
be a big burden in administrative terms
to be processed by far the the simplest
way to proceed in my view is to use the
the tax system that every employer has
they have pay-as-you-earn they they take
money in taxes from their employees and
send it to the government in these weeks
they should reverse the flow and they
should have support from the government
going in the reverse direction to
employees pay packets on the condition
that though
people continue to be employed many
businesses small and medium-sized indeed
large ones as well rely on loans from
banks to keep going to keep paying their
employees the government has said it
wants the bank's subpoena to keep the
taps open but it's not in telling them
to do so so what should the government
do to force the banks to do what they're
supposed to be doing at the moment well
the banks should be under a requirement
to to continue to to lend and to extend
overdraft and lending facilities that is
something that they they need
collectively to agree but that in my
view is not sufficient the the lending
scheme that was proposed earlier in the
week I know from talking to businesses
in my constituency and Beyond is not
going to keep people employed because
business owners and managers of
businesses will ask themselves the the
question if I take out a loan then that
is going to have to be repaid how can I
know that that's going to be I'm going
to be able to repay it since this crisis
is open-ended how can i how can I do
that and in fact the if I keep on my
staff the the loan that I will have to
take out is bigger than if I let them go
and so the incentives are completely in
the wrong direction which is why it is a
matter of urgency for the government to
to step in this is a once in a hundred
year crisis it requires once in a
hundred year response indeed I mean can
you as a former business secretary
envisage what the business landscape
will look like once this is all over
when this is all over yes it's this is a
crisis that has that has come about
suddenly it's going to take some time to
resolve but unlike other types of
economic crises and financial crises the
the fundamentals of these businesses
that are now under pressure and are
going to have to close and again I have
to let people go there's no question
that they won't be needed let alone
viable so what we need to do to have is
a bridge to to resume a prosperous
future and that that has to be provided
collectively this isn't a sometimes in
previous financial crises governments of
and acted as a as a lender of last
resort the the nature of this crisis
it's more like something that an insurer
would provide cover against now it's not
possible to do it for the event by the
insurance companies but the state should
be an insurer of last resort and allow
the equivalent of business continuity
insurance to kick in so that these
viable businesses are not needlessly
lost okay and lost forever lost
permanently one more Greg Clark I mean
the priority at the moment is safety
trying to flatten that curve making sure
that you know as few people as possible
get the infection etc etc do you think
it's right for the government still not
to call for a comprehensive shutdown or
cornered lockdown of the capital city
especially with the most important thing
is that the decisions that the
government takes are informed by the
evidence of experts and I have seen and
we've all seen that you have in every
press conference the Prime Minister
gives he is flanked by the chief medical
officer and the government chief
scientific adviser both of whom drawn
the the best possible advice and so as
long as that advice is being followed
that's the best that we can do and
everything that I've seen tells me that
that advice is being followed these men
that appear with him are substantial
figures of authority and a care advice
were not being followed by the prime
minister I'm certain that they would
draw to the country's attention okay
great Clark thank you very much need for
joining us thank you for some children
it's a cause for celebration but for
those ready to sit GCSEs and a-levels
exams the plan to close all schools from
tomorrow
spells uncertainty and turmoil NHS
workers and other key employees will be
allowed to send their children to school
but it's not yet
known how long schools will remain
closed as isit al has this report
preparing lessons and getting ready for
a day ahead all that's missing for kids
even though school's officially closed
from tomorrow there are fewer kids here
today and these year 11s
are still reeling from the news I
thought I just saw a movie right now
like I never thought this would ever
happen in this lifetime and obviously
this is supposed to be like our main god
parser GCSEs and now it's all gone down
to waste five years basically for
nothing at the moment honestly I'm kind
of stuck mine bamboozled I don't know
what to do like my whole goal was the
focus on GCC's past them going six four
more college focus on a-levels well some
people are quite relieved because they
feel like school give class dress but in
the downsides beam up who is Christ just
for cause she actually in more
independent learning than before a big
concern from kids here and across the
country is what will happen now that
exams are canceled how will they know
they're true great I did try my best at
the time but my Mott suits for me to
learn my mistakes and not repeat them to
do better my final exam seven children
came to breakfast club here this morning
when they were usually 30 they also have
empty classrooms in the normal course of
the day this would be buzzing with
children working hard in their
classrooms and so it's very very strange
to think that this could be the last
today and tomorrow could be the last
days for the remainder of this school
year
just a couple of miles away in Enfield
this school for special educational
needs say they can't even think of
closing their doors we our school that
pupils have social emotional mental
health they have an educational health
care plan and so that means they are the
most vulnerable so yes we're clear that
we have to stay open but also
I've got to be sure that my staff was
safe they're worried they're coming you
know coming to me miss you know I'm
really worried this morning I don't know
what to do what are we doing though
they're looking to me for answers
one big knock-on effect for schools
being shut is how the children who get
free school meals get fed can you talk
me through exactly what is here okay so
we're going to be giving out some
packets of a long life milk
I sent my staff out about four to two
and nine this morning and it took about
two two and a half hours for them to
just get together you know some supplies
and they said to me miserable literally
eleven shops and we had to queue in
every single shop the government are
giving vouchers to use at supermarkets
which they say is more than what they
pay for free school meals and for the
youngest in our society there's even
more uncertainty nursery say they'll
struggle to stay open as most parents
are staying away but for kids thinking
this is the start of a very long holiday
teachers want them to know it's not and
there's a lot of homework on the way or
joining me now is Isabelle writing an
a-level student who's had her final your
exams cancelled after the announcement
from the government thanks for coming on
the program Isabelle I see you're not
doing your homework at the moment
because I guess you've got some leisure
time where you gutted or were you
relieved when you heard the news I was
absolutely gutted and I've spent three
years doing my a-levels because I
repeated a year and I've put so much
time and so much planning into it so
what are gonna do no I don't know it's
really hard to have something that
you've been focusing on for so long
taken away from you and to just not have
any answers to be completely left in the
dark
I hope I'm gonna keep working because
whatever happens I'm sure having good
pieces of work will help me but I've no
idea what's gonna happen and I do feel
very lost in all I can imagine
absolutely and because this is what
you've been working for for so many
years has the school
giving you any indication of how they
might assess your performance so far
what kind of grade you might get an owl
no cuz of Boris a statement being so
vague and wishy-washy and we don't know
we've been given the different ways it
could happen so we could get you to
assessment our predicted grades or maybe
sit the exams in August or September
even but we have no idea what will
actually happen what do you think would
be the fair way of assessing your grade
I think it's really hard because
students you know students have their
different moments some students work
hard all throughout the year other
students step up at the last moment I
think the exams going ahead would be the
most ideal then whether that be August
or September when it is you put you
prefer to do that to basically spend the
next few months including the summer
working and then taking exams at the
beginning of the next academic year yeah
I work because a predicted grade it's
it's a grade but you haven't earned it
in the same way it doesn't give you that
validation it doesn't give you you know
as students we are absolutely taught to
drive and work for these grades and then
to have them taken away and just given a
predicted grade doesn't have the same
sort of satisfaction and finally briefly
how does this affect I don't know what
your plans are but you know University
and cheese for instance or any offers
you might have received I'm really lucky
because I've got an unconditional for
acting at Bath Spa but a lot of my
friends are really dependent on the
grades they get and their future is
completely in the balance because of
what's going on and of course it's quite
race time Isabelle I wish you all the
best in the future good luck and thank
you so much for talking to us thank you
bye-bye well the hospital is expecting a
massive influx of patients the
government has announced that it will
allocate 2.9 billion pounds of its
emergency occur vat19 fund to free up
thousands of hospital beds in England
but staff on the frontline of the crisis
say that there is still a shortage of
protective equipment a problem
authorities across the UK are scrambling
to address a Health and Social Care
correspondent Victoria McDonald has this
report
the NHS is clear and needs more beds as
the number of people with corona virus
grows extra wards have been opened and
trusts across the country but some of
those are now full
so today the government announced 2.9
billion pounds for helping the elderly
and the vulnerable in the community
getting them out of hospital and freeing
15,000 beds in England alone the NHS
capacity is not a perfect trivial point
in the sense that when you really go
over capacity and it's possible you know
in any winter we go over to capacity a
bit and some of these ITU beds but when
you go over capacity if he goes over and
in a major way then the whole system
grinds to a fee for every bed though
they need more staff and today the
health secretary published emergency
legislation allowing recently retired
doctors and nurses to come back into the
health service but the question of
safety remains with staff across the
country complaining of inadequate
supplies this is what one trauma nurse
has told us they wanted to remain
anonymous up until a month ago on my
trauma ward we would use FFP three masks
for any patient in respiratory isolation
but that may have been because that's
the supply we had in stock but we're now
being told that we only need FFP three
masks for patients being ventilated
we're wearing surgical masks when
carrying out personal care on
coronavirus patients we're feeding them
washing them brushing their teeth whilst
wearing only a surgical mask if that's
safe I haven't seen any evidence to say
it is and in Scotland today the First
Minister was asked why two-thirds of
frontline ambulance crews do not yet
have the personal protective equipment
or PPE that they need that work is
underway at peace as we speak the health
secretary is meeting this afternoon with
the Scottish Ambulance Service and the
GMB the the trade union associated with
the Scottish Ambulance Service to make
sure that the concerns that frontline
workers have are being properly and
quickly address frontline health staff
in Wales are now to be tested for
covered 19
in England this is still not happening
because of a lack of capacity it is
hoped although there was no detail that
this will change the key thing we need
to do is get the testing out the first
priority was itu second priority all the
people who got symptoms but the next
priority for us is to get the NHS
workers so we can test them quickly and
then if they got it
fine they continue but they know they've
had it once if they have not got it then
they can come back to work that is
testing to tell them they have the virus
right now the next development needed is
an antibody test to see how many people
have had covered 19 which is critical
from mapping this disease but also so
NHS staff don't need to self isolate and
can return to the frontline Victoria
joins me now Victoria in the Prime
Minister's press comments we heard a
slightly more optimistic note a kind of
a sense of you know maybe some light at
the end of the tunnel do the facts
justify the optimism well it feels a bit
like psychology 101 doesn't it that with
the the nation has been sort of
desperately depressed as becoming
desperately depressed by this whole
thing so let's give them a bit of good
news so we have some antibody testing
that we think is going ahead which will
tell us if we've had the virus the first
British patient has gone into a
randomised trial for treatment and they
said that there is more testing on the
way so all all that is good news but the
factors we're not even anywhere near the
peak we have the worst to come I'm
afraid to say and that was very clear
today when the chief scientific adviser
actually told people off in a way he
said this is we are only going to get on
top of this if everybody follows the
advice and he particularly said this to
young people stop going to pups stop
going to restaurants because we need all
of you to do what we're asking