a few tools had already locked their
gates like this primary school in
Hartford sure closed today for a
deep-clean because of two cases of
coronavirus many others were seen
falling attendance of staff and pupils
now the whole school system is being
shut down the Prime Minister is now
daily crisis press conference at the
course of the virus meant this had to
happen now disease look at where we are
now we think now that we must apply
downward pressure further downward
pressure on that upward curve by closing
the school so I can announce today and
Gavin Williamson is making a statement
now in that in the House of Commons that
after schools shut their gates from
Friday afternoon they will remain closed
for most pupils for the vast majority of
pupils until further notice
the reason for this is because of the
effect it can have just to knock down
further the transmission the put some
delay into the system put some breaks
into the system of the transmission of
this disease to bring it down to protect
those people who might get the much more
serious version and end up in intensive
care or on a ventilator some schools
will be kept open to look after the
children those providing vital services
during the crisis like NHS and care
workers police officers supermarket
delivery drivers and others we therefore
need schools to make provision for the
children of these key workers who would
otherwise be forced to stay home and
they will also need to look after the
most vulnerable children he promised
digital food tokens for those on free
school meals schools could remain closed
for months way beyond the exams that
start this May but when it comes to kids
in there and their exam qualifications
we will make sure that they are not
impeded their progress is not impeded as
a result of the decisions
we're having to take now about their
schools so they will get we will make
sure that in time they get the
qualifications they need I don't want to
go in detail about when and how those
qualifications will be administered but
it will be done fairly and in order to
protect their interests exactly what
happens is work in progress as the
government has no idea when schools
could reopen just another reason it's
been so reluctant to press the button
across the world more than 850 million
children had already been sent home from
school as part of the international
response to covert 19 in Europe Britain
was almost the last country not to have
taken that measure until this afternoon
it's important to stress and this is
really critical it's not because schools
are dangerous places for children
they're not children have a very mild or
asymptomatic version of this disease in
many cases so they are are the least at
risk it's also not a dangerous place for
teachers the reason for this is because
of the effect it can have just to knock
down further the transmission the put
some delay into the system put some
breaks into the system of the
transmission of this disease to bring it
down to protect those people who might
get the much more serious version and
end up in intensive care or on a
ventilator the clamp down could tighten
again soon in London where the disease
is spreading much faster the capital
could come under special controls within
days Scotland's First Minister hinted at
how different rules could come in for
different parts of the country we know
London is ahead of the rest of us so we
may see more stringent measures than
even those that we haven't known so far
being taken but they will not
necessarily be taken in all parts of the
country at the same time the Prime
Minister was asked if he could deploy
legal powers to stop people in London
moving around freely
we do not rule out because it would be
quite wrong to do so we do not rule out
taking further and faster measures in
due course as Prime Minister's Questions
instead of the usual packed chamber
this weekend fees were told to stay away
unless they were going to get a question
Jeremy Corbyn said the government helped
for people with mortgages announced
yesterday followed by help for those in
the rented sector will the prime
minister now confirm that the
government's emergency legislation will
protect private renters from eviction
he's making a series of very powerful
points and I can indeed confirm that we
will do we will be bringing forward
legislation to protect private renters
from from addiction that is that is one
thing we'll do but it is also important
as we legislate that we do not simply
pass on the problem the government
promised an emergency law banning new
evictions from social housing or private
sector rentals for the duration of the
crisis MPs asked the Chancellor if the
measures he was promising to save jobs
might include sending money to companies
who currently pay National Insurance
employers contributions reversing the
tax in a give away some of the tax
levers that you mentioned whether what
the benefit of them is obviously scale
and you can move at scale for better or
worse and at speed but it is slightly
more difficult to be targeted but we are
looking at every conceivable tool at our
disposal back in the comments chamber
one Tory MP asked how the NHS would
choose who should get treatment you only
have one acute bed many more in need of
it given what's unfolding in northern
Italy and the very real prospect of our
brilliant NHS staff being overwhelmed in
a matter of weeks what age and
comorbidity criteria are being drafted
that will govern access to intensive
care and to ventilators well mr. speaker
he raises a very important point but
this is one that is not unknown to the
medical profession and we will be
relying on the clinical decisions of of
those medical professionals a grim face
for a grim dilemma the NHS fears could
be about to be played out across the
country
if behavior doesn't change drastically
and fast well joining me now is Kevin
Courtney who leads the UK's biggest
union of teachers and education workers
the any you from Westminster on joined
by the shadow Education Minister Angela
Reyna and via the internet from his
Leicestershire constituency the
Conservative MP Andrew Britain we did
try to speak to a government minister
but no one was free to talk to us Kevin
Courtney first are you pleased that the
government has taken this action that
you have long been calling for well
obviously we're not pleased about the
country being in this situation in
general but we have been pressing the
government to give us the data the
modelling because it seemed odd that our
country wasn't closing schools when
others have so we we think it's the
right decision we think it's the right
decision based on the the spread of the
disease to try and slow that down
it is a real strain though on parents
who are trying to work from home go out
to work still so in some cases obviously
and we don't know how long it's going to
go on for how long should this law well
that's not a question for a teacher
union leader or an education union
leader it's a question for the Met for
the medic for the medical scientists
that's the only way we're going to know
it depends on how the how the disease
spreads we're hoping that these
government measures will slow the spread
but I have to say that I think it's much
better that we now have a planned
closure than the chaotic closure that
was developing this week we had so many
teachers who were having to self isolate
because of government regulations and
then teachers who were told that if they
had asthma or COPD or Parkinson's
disease or HIV that they had to stay at
home for 12 weeks it was just becoming
chaotic well the other chaos was over
what was going to happen to the exams
now cancelled but how on earth are
grades gonna be awarded fairly to this
whole generation of children no well
there is a real problem with that it is
it is a difficulty but again it is the
right decision because the peak exam
season would be the same as everybody's
guess about the peak virus season you
know so that lots of children would have
been in situations where they couldn't
go to school where they've missed
revision time because they were ill or
isolated or missing the exams
selves their staff missing the exams so
it's the right decision by the
government that we have been calling for
that have anything on that yeah how how
are you gonna award the grades though so
we've been talking with we talked with a
minister today their proposal they're
working up is that we use teacher
assessment now as of now how teachers
rank their pupils as of now we there's
more detail to talk through on that but
I think it will have to be on that basis
yes now there is part of the exam system
that has just no negative implications
whatsoever the fact that the SATs exams
have gone from primary schools there is
no downside of that they are a
completely unnecessary test they would
obviously do nothing this year to rank
schools because it would be completely
random which children are there so
that's got no downside a lot of parents
do like having the SATs to choose which
schools to go to but I take your point
Kevin corn you must leave it there and
turn now to our other guest Andrew
Britton and Andrew Lorraine and now and
religion should this have happened
sooner the unions have been pressing it
pressing for this for several days well
I think the right decisions about timing
they don't earlier people were losing
them of reading the history around this
well I think what it does the government
that on the spread of the violin let's
be clear about just to protect the lives
and well-being of the most probably our
society and it's really important that
all of the public the vast majority of
us who are going to get through this
with a very very mild symptoms if any at
all that we change our behavior those to
protect those most vulnerable citizens
okay Andrew Lorena how long should
schools be closed well because a lot of
parents desperately trying to make ends
meet will be very worried about this
when they well I think it's a very
worrying time for parents and carers
across the UK at the moment and school
should be closed for as long as it takes
and what the experts say and it should
be decided by what's in the public
health interest and you know it's very
important I welcome the statement that
the Minister made today I've been
pushing for them to do that
I think it's a responsible thing to do
but there's a crucial thing here the
most vulnerable chill
children in our society need to ensure
that the poverty that we're seeing
across the UK that these children are
not left isolated without the support
they need and the families crucially are
not plunged into poverty or into a
situation where they cannot afford to
feed and to clothe and to look after
their young people there's some big
questions that need to be answered and
I'm sure the Secretary of State will be
continuing to work with me to make sure
that we support our citizens through
this difficult time
do you support vulnerable children still
being allowed to go to school yes I
absolutely support that I think it's
really crucial that we look after the
most vulnerable children and I know that
it's a very worrying time for a lot of
parents including those parents who now
are going to be worrying about how they
look after their children through this
process and the government still has to
come forward with things like for
example the voucher scheme offer free
school meals how's that going to be
costed because school meals are less
will be for a unit price currently in
the schools whereas if it's individually
or a different scheme across different
schools then that's going to be a
challenge some of our most vulnerable
and disabled children if their school
closes how will they still get the
provision that they're entitled to in
the support that those those parents
need and the carers parents and carers
who have you know some of these concerns
around underlying health conditions how
can we make sure that they're supported
and single parents if they come down
with the disease how do we support them
in making sure that they can look after
their children as well and reversion you
had suspected coronavirus symptoms have
you yet had your tests no I haven't I'm
the end tomorrow of my self-isolation
period I had all the symptoms I'm I'm
sure I've had it they reiterate what the
prime minister said earlier how
important it is now that we have a test
to serve tests for the antibody so those
of us who believe we are immune can know
that we are we can get on with our lives
help get the economy going again and
also help those who are in need
would absolutely be a game changer
because I actually think that this virus
has been around rather longer than we
think it has and a lot of people I'm
speaking to think that they had a mild
case of it some weeks ago if we could
actually determine whose
we now already had the virus it would be
a huge help to everybody Andrew Britton
and Angela morena and Kevin Courtney in
the studio thank you both all very much
Jackie
now the UK's big supermarket chains are
introducing restrictions on what
customers can buy from tomorrow shoppers
will be allowed a maximum of three of
any single item in an effort to stop the
shelves from emptying but as huge queues
of trucks form on the continent because
of coronavirus health checks keeping the
supply chain flowing here is more vital
than ever our business and global trade
correspondent Paul McNamara reports
queuing out the door and along the
streets outside some stores for shelves
that are already bare stripped by
panicked buyers pharmacists and
supermarkets say there is no need there
is enough supply but many shoppers
aren't listening and as of tomorrow
Sainsbury's Asda and Tesco will stop
customers by more than three of any
single item this is rationing not by
government but rationing by companies
whose business it is in normal times to
sell as much as they can and it's
rationing that many shoppers welcome I
think it's because you know sometimes
you see trolley loads of stuff it's
ridiculous I mean I should have done it
from the beginning not now do you think
about it I mean people going out buying
stuff isn't even fun durable people
without nothing I think it's a yeah
honestly it's a for me I don't have the
money to be going out and buying massive
bulk loads of stuff and you know I've
got a seven month old baby and I have to
try for supermarkets getting up there
any checks being
at the board meeting for this haulage
firm there is only one topic of
conversation these are different on
different borders unless certain groups
were seeing delays Europa handle a
hundred lorry crossings a day to and
from Europe it's a key player in the
nation supply chain transporting
manufacturing goods consumer products
and food that ends up in our
supermarkets this is one of the
thousands of warehouses across the
nation that keeps our shops stopped here
though there's no apparent shortage of
cooking ingredients of cleaning products
somewhere up there there is dry pasta
and lots of it
the problem the bosses here say isn't
supply in the system its demand at the
checkouts and people are panic buying
that is clearing the shelves and that's
creating a shortage obviously it takes
time to replenish those goods and get
them in back into the shops but that
issue is purely coming from panic buying
it's not coming from any issues in the
supply chain but there will be lots of
people sitting at home saying oh come on
of course you're gonna say that this is
your business oh no not really that's
just a reality of the situation there
are a lot of restrictions that are
coming into place now about people
travelling across borders what are you
seeing what are your drive is seeing
across borders at some borders they are
having temperature checks and there is
you know some modest amount of
disruption around those things but
broadly speaking on the movement of
trucks around Europe no restrictions but
additional health checks across one
German Polish border last night caused
these delays of several hours no bother
says the industry drivers and their
supplies may take a little longer but
they are on their way
so some problems with traffic on the
continent but here there this constant
flow of goods into the country is still
flowing right here goods have been
unloaded right now they will be all
through the night but while it's
business is normal here that is not the
case for thousands of other companies
across the nation
yesterday the Chancellor announced
hundreds of billions of powers to stop
companies going to the wall
that's all backed up by the Bank of
England I spoke to the governor the new
governor there this morning he
reiterated the Chancellor's point that
he will do whatever it takes even when I
press him about Airlines some of whom
who said they will need billions of
pounds themselves but I started by
asking him just how bad is the financial
crisis we're facing
well we haven't put a number on it
because frankly there's so much
uncertainty that I think it would be
difficult and you know somewhat
misleading frankly to do that what we do
clearly see is that there is a very
sharp downturn unsurprisingly
so are we literally in the situation
then where even the forecasters at the
Bank of England simply just don't know
how bad this is going to be well we're
talking very very closely to
epidemiologists because you know we're
trying to work out a you'll sort of you
know will rely on their actually skills
and expertise to work out the path of
this thing and then translate that into
effects on the economy that's not
something that an economic forecaster
does you know in normal times you know
as part of their role so we're having to
adapt to that so all of that of course
underlines the degree of uncertainty
we're facing but of course what follows
from that is the needs of it to be very
decisive in terms of what we do already
we simply don't know what we're having
to we're having to take steps which are
not based on what you might call precise
quantitative sizing and forecasting but
let me be very clear it would of course
be a mistake to therefore say we're not
going to take any action before we can
do that that's that that would be the
wrong things to be critical mistakes so
we are acting we're acting on what I
call the best analysis we have but I
would say does that mean we've got a
sort of precise fork
most of how this is going to play for
the economy no we don't you are under I
see a vast value of loans but it doesn't
actually address the problem of
companies needing a heck of a lot of
cash right now they're airlines saying
if they don't get huge amounts of money
in their accounts by May they're gonna
go bust well let me say two things to
that first of all there's a whole
package of measures clearly which the
Chancellor's announced on which we've
announced a big part of it's not just
ladies I mean the Charles has announced
a lot of measures that's right
and of course a lot of measures which
are there to support companies but
they're to support employment sport the
people of this country but those big
fans they're only eligible for the
license hmm they need the cash right now
well that's why we're moving very
quickly some of the lanes are for five
million pounds three lines that's a drop
in the ocean well what what we announced
yesterday doesn't have a limit to it so
are you are you preparing then to give
the airline's tens of millions of pounds
was what I was needed frankly and there
will obviously be very close discussions
government and us with people like the
Alliance to say what is it that's needed
but what we've been out to transfer now
is yesterday very importantly is it's
there
the supporters there you only a couple
of days into job what's going on is
beyond the common edge of an awful lot
of people now scared of you about this
people are losing their lives out there
well of course we're an emergency
what we are doing what we all do at the
bank and I can assure people they will
have our full focus full efforts on
providing all the tools that we can do
to support their needs but are you
worried what we're facing greater
uncertainty so course you know we have
to meet that challenge we have to meet
that we have to think what what are the
best steps we can do to meet the needs
of the people this country because it's
understandable that they're worried you
know you governor of the Bank of England
there let's go back to our political
editor Gary Gibbon who earlier spoke to
the Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Steve Barkley about the money the
government has promised to support the
economy against the impact and the
coronavirus Gary that's right I did
because although the attention is
inevitably switched to schools today
around here in Westminster the economy
is reeling out there and people are
hurting very badly and there are giant
questions being asked about whether the
government is really addressing the
right problem here maybe reaching into
the wrong drawer in some of the measures
they've been bringing out they've been
bringing out more measures today they're
promising stuff on saving employment
saving jobs we don't know the exact
detail of that yet they don't know the
detail they're writing stuff at speed
and it is massive stuff and I started
when I sat down and talked to Steve
Berkeley the Chief Secretary to the
Treasury by asking him whether for
instance the 330 billion in loans for
business that's been announced was
itself maybe the wrong solution for the
extraordinary problems we face well the
package yesterday was very well received
by leading business groups and it
reflects a kiosk of Gummer which is how
do we pride a bridge for viable
businesses businesses that were
successful before the coronavirus and
businesses that will be successful after
we've dealt with the coronavirus and how
do we get them through this difficult
period and a key challenge for them is
liquidity the cash flow challenge
through the next coming months so that's
why we announced at the budget at loans
of up to 1.2 million we've gone further
yesterday by increasing those loans to
five million and it answers a
ask that was made others by the business
community there's an awful lot of
companies out there that aren't
suffering liquidity issues its solvency
they actually think they're going under
they're not going to fill in a loan
application for well this is why it's
part of a wider coordinated action
working with the Bank of England who
have also in parallel taken a number of
steps to support business some people
say these are the sort of measures you
do if you were approaching a short-term
crisis if you were trying to help people
over a three-months issue but this is
longer isn't it well this is part of a
continuum of measures so we announced
the twelve billion pound package within
the budget part of a wider thirty
billion of fiscal stimulus to the
economy we went further as you say
yesterday with the 330 billion of loans
but there's no imposition on the
businesses to hold on to their employees
is it the key is how do we support
businesses is the best way as they
thought they could take the money and
lay people off that's the one that is
not what businesses want to do
businesses want something as we come
through this we are going to get through
this challenge and the businesses will
value their staff want to be able to
then grow as businesses as we come
through the challenge there coronavirus
and that's like it could be a year 18
months well it could be well it's part
of a package of measures and let's say
this is a coordinated approach it's not
just what the government itself is doing
its the measures were also taking with
the Bank of England tell me a bit about
the talks you having with trade unions
and employers about employment
protection and could could you consider
there perhaps like the Danish government
has done a great big subsidy that
basically pays 75% of salaries up to a
certain cap or or could it be that you
stop charging national insurance to
employers well we're working without
unions were working do any of those well
we're looking at a range of measures and
we're into these discussions where the
trade unions and businesses to look at
what is the best targeted way to support
the best way to support people is by
ensuring they can keep their job and
that is through supporting businesses in
order to do so as you know statutory
sick pay is a isn't even a fifth of
average weekly earnings and an awful lot
of employers pay just statutory
particular
there's only about that firstly a large
number of employers actually go beyond
statutory sick pay so too
it is the case that in many instances
people get more than that and but part
of it is also making it quicker and so
the pay more so for there but part of it
is also about making it quicker to
access which is why we've done that but
one has also got to watch the burden on
business themselves who pay statistics
so you might not be able to do anything
about that so looking at a range of
measures we're discussing with trade
union groups with businesses and and
others as to what is the right way to
support for months for years we've
talked about nothing but breaks it and
now there's new extraordinary crisis has
come along and towers over it surely
you're not going to stick to the
deadline which happens to be the end of
this year you're going to extend the
transition the system down there and
white or can't cope with anything else
the meetings can't happen
you can't inflict another shock on
business when it's had the shock of his
life
can you the trade negotiators are not
part of so David for us it is not
possible people have done these
discussions in terms of their so so
that's a different piece of work you
can't rule out the idea that the brakes
extension know anything of so we're
committed to the timescale is it isn't
that madness at the main highway so
Gaston what we're focused on is getting
the right response to thrown a virus
well let's recap on some of the other
news on coronavirus today a prisoner in
manchester has tested positive for
covert 19 the first in the UK to do so
and he's currently in hospital 13 other
prisoners and members of staff were put
into isolation as a precaution emergency
legislation is being introduced to
suspend new evictions from social or
private rented accommodation the rules
will mean landlords will not be able to
start proceedings to evict tenants for
at least three months so no one could be
forced out of their home and on top of
the changes landlords will be given
extra protection to with the three-month
mortgage payment holiday announced
yesterday extended to buy-to-let
mortgages at the end of the coronavirus
period the government say they expect
landlords and tenants to work together
to establish and a four
repayment plan Jackie well joining me
now are the deputy general secretary of
the Trades Union Congress Paul Novak and
Edwin Morgan who's director of policy at
the Institute of Directors thanks very
much for joining us
Edwin Morgan first we heard the chief
secretary to the Treasury there say this
is a bridge for viable businesses but we
know that many many businesses feel then
in danger right now has is it enough is
it the right help you absolutely right
Lord visitors do really feel on the edge
of the moment that's what we're hearing
from from our members so the the
measures were substantially increased by
the Chancellor but there's there's a lot
more than is going to need to be done
particularly Gary mentioned employer
social insurance other kind of tax
holidays or support for employment is
going to be needed as the measures also
ramp up and businesses are more and more
effective so this reverse national
insurance where effectively employers
are paid to employ people you'd like to
see that it just reduces the cost the
upfront cost of employing people and
makes it easier to keep them all which
is what businesses wants to do I'm Paul
Novak we heard the chief secretary to
the Treasury say that supporting workers
to keep to stay in their jobs is best
done by supporting business has enough
been done for workers do you think well
I think what we've seen is a package of
support from the Chancellor that has
provided that support for businesses and
rightly so but what we really need now
is a targeted package of support that's
going to protect people's jobs and
livelihoods we need to do everything we
can
governments employers unions working
together to avoid redundancies and
layoffs and I think we need to send a
message it doesn't matter where whether
you're working in an airport or a pub
the government's isn't going to stand by
and say you lose your job because of
this public health crisis so absolutely
vital that we work together to get the
right package of support that will
prioritize people's jobs and livelihoods
I'm Edwin Morgan the the problem is the
measures work as this bridge decided
were a bridge in the short term but
there's no guarantee this will be short
term oh absolutely I mean I think
everyone's expecting it to be
considerably longer term than that the
loans are a useful component absolutely
making easier for firms to get that
financed but it's it's only if you feel
that you can take on a loan it'll
obviously lots of companies
feeling they're slightly on the edge
anyway it's actually quite a risk for
them and I mean it not just in terms of
will the business go under but also as
if you're the director of a company
you're taking a koala personal liability
if you are continuing to trade while
you're insolvent or actually taking on a
loan and you might still go back but
also there's no guarantee that they'll
pass on that loan to keep workers in
business in work I mean I think the
message we're getting from members is
very much that they are prioritizing
their staff and they will do everything
they can to keep them on I don't think
that's so much the issue I think it's
more that the loan is itself a risk cash
grants which are in place now for resale
leisure and hospitality are going to
have to be extended some more sections
of the economy just to keep some firms
afloat
well Novak of course one of the big
issues this is about statutory sick pay
ninety four pounds a week currently can
your workers survive on that I don't
think any worker can survive on that we
pulled 2,000 of our members and they
were very clear over half them said they
just won't be able to meet the basic
bills the rents the mortgage the
household costs never mind anything else
so that the level of statutory sick pay
has to rise there are far too many
people who are who aren't eligible to
statutory sick pay because they are
belieber below the threshold or they're
employed in a different way so we need
sick pay for everybody at work and we
need to build on the good examples where
unions and employers I've worked
together to make sure people get a fair
deal so that we can look after the
public health look after their families
but also not lose out financially we've
done lots of agreements with employers
to make sure that people who have to
self isolate or who are who are ill
don't lose out financially but
ultimately the government will also need
to step up to the plate as well and make
sure that we do have a sick pay for all
so that nobody's having to make that
choice between looking after their
health and the health of those around
them or go into work because they can't
afford not resume ibly you and other
employers would agree with that yeah
absolutely I think this is such
unprecedented circumstances absolutely
everyone has to pull together I mean
just answer to Paul's point self
employment the self and be self-employed
is a whole other area which is not
governed of course by the arrangements
for employers and allowing something
that means that they can get probably an
elevated level based on that average own
over a certain period as has been done
on the country's would be sensible in
the circumstance because you accept that
94 pounds a week is just not enough for
people to live on exactly and if this is
protracted you know and goes on quite a
long time and it's just the economy
needs a lot of support at the moment and
for the foreseeable well novak today the
moves on protecting renters from being
evicted presumably you welcome that
absolutely and i think you know it's
gonna be part of a wider package of
measures that's needed to to give people
that financial security but you know
every day brings a new challenge so
we've heard the news today that schools
are going to close we're going to need
support for working parents as well to
make sure that they can take time off to
look after their children we've called
on the government so again guarantee
that no one will lose out because of
that and they will have to subsidize
employers unfortunately there is a no
nil cost at option on these these sorts
of things we're facing unprecedented
times therefore we need unprecedented
measures the Chancellor has said he'll
do whatever it takes and I think no
government hopefully will live up to
that and certainly unions want to work
together with employers with governments
to make sure we protect everybody in our
communities and working people in their
families and finally to Edmund Morgan
the governor of the Bank of England says
today firms should not be firing people
they should look for help are you
telling your members to think twice
before firing staff absolutely we and
those very much the message we hear from
our members that they do not want to lay
off staff and actually mean if you look
back to 2008 companies really tried
where possible to keep people on for as
long as possible and we we expect they
will do the same it's just they need
support everyone needs to work together
and it's going to be pretty bumpy
Edwin Morgan Paul Novak thank you very
much for talking to us today Kathy
thanks Jackie or returning to health
matters on the virus now and the World
Health Organization urged countries
again today to test all suspected cases
the Prime Minister here announced that
tests will be increased to 25,000 a day
up from the 10,000 NHS England promise
just last week the extra testing comes
after weeks of pressure from doctors and
nurses on the front line
I should whole reports who's being
tested and how many today the government
said this
we'll massively scale up our testing
capacity in the weeks ahead so that we
hit 25,000 tests a day and then the
daily press conference the chief
scientific adviser says they're also
looking into the types of tests they're
providing so two types of tests are
important the test to say have you got
the active virus and that's being
rapidly scaled up by public health
England and that's crucially important
Oh who's actively got it at the moment
the second one is you allude to is the
antibody test which tells you whether
you've had it and whether you've now got
antibodies against it and that's
progressing very fast tests that could
be like these we exclusively filmed at
this Center last week where they made
them but NHS workers are still not being
reassured that they will definitely be
tested a junior doctor who has a minor
cough has a petition that's been signed
nearly 900,000 times as they're likely
to be confronted with a large amounts of
cases very soon they feel vulnerable
staff need to know that they can be
routinely tested in a rapid way to
ensure that if they are negative they
can do what they do best but testing is
just one part of fighting this
protective clothing is another with that
in mind we've asked doctors again today
whether they had actually received any
personal protective equipment and again
we're hearing stories that inadequate
equipment is provided that the equipment
that is provided is out of date and that
in certain circumstances a new date
label has been added covering the
previous one Department of Health and
Social Care say protective equipment can
sometimes be relabeled and is
appropriate for use but there are still
many in this country who want to know if
they have covered 19 there are reports
that more and more people are buying
tests from private care providers it
came back positive it's after
celebrities who appear not to meet the
strict criteria for testing are
appearing on social media with their
positive results there's a clinic here
on Harley Street which is offering
coronavirus tests privately for 375
pounds now we spoke to the doctor who's
offering these tests he told us he was
too busy to come outside and speak on
but that he's been inundated with
inquiries but there's been criticism if
there are private tests available why
aren't these going to all frontline
workers who are battling coronavirus
this is something I've been really
frustrated about because I'm talking to
health workers who are in covert wards
and they're saying I can't get tested
but then we're hearing on the news of
celebrities being tested quite quickly
and I've been trying to understand why
is this it's not fair and other
countries are showing than actually for
a certain amount of time it's
appropriate to take over private
facilities and private resources to work
towards the larger public especially
health workers and I so I think that's
the steps we should be taking right now
there's still some missing detail from
the government about who will get these
new tests and when but for the frontline
workers they're clear they want to know
if they can get back to helping patients
without the risk of infecting them