Italy has reported another 766 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities since the pandemic began there to 14,681. The number of deaths is only slightly higher than on Thursday and the 2,339 new infections is down on recent days,

In other developments:

• For the second day in a row, there have been more than 900 deaths in Spain;10,935 people have died of Covid-19 since the outbreak began. With 117,710 cases It has had some 2,000 fewer cases than Italy
• In France, the government has revealed that a total of 884 care home residents have died of Covid-19, as care homes across Europe struggle under the pandemic. Separately, two French doctors have sparked outrage after calling for coronavirus vaccines to be trialled in Africa
• In Norway, the unemployment rate has risen to its highest ever level, with 14.7% of the population classed as either partially or fully unemployed
• Slovakia is due to begin widespread testing among the Roma (Gypsy) community. The government says 1,500 Roma have recently returned from abroad

• Germany has said it will allow 40,000 seasonal workers to enter the country to harvest asparagus, despite a travel ban

Image source, Getty Images

Professor Van Tam addresses questions about whether people in the UK should be wearing face masks.

But he says in the UK he does not believe healthy people wearing them would reduce the spread of the disease.

"What matters now is social distancing," he adds.

Prof Van Tam says we see "large amounts" of people wearing masks in South East Asia, but those citizens have done it for "many decades" and it is wired into cultures".

He adds: "In terms of hard evidence and the UK government, we do not recommend face masks for general wearing."

Matt Hancock is asked about promises of antibody tests that have yet to emerge - which will show if someone has already had the virus.

On Thursday he admitted no working test had been found yet.

Today, Mr Hancock says the government has ordered 17 million, but says he has been "absolutely clear all along we will only use them if they work".

He says no G7 country has found a home antibody test that works yet, "but we continue to search for one".

Mr Hancock adds: "The science is constantly developing and there is a huge amount of global effort."

Asked about testing, Mr Hancock again says the UK has "ramped up" the numbers and repeats his "clear goal" of 100,000 a day by the end of April.

"There are countries that have tested more than us, like Germany but others, like France, that haven't," he says.

The first question comes from the BBC's Health Editor Hugh Pym who asks when the peak time will be.

Jonathan Van Tam replies "We don't know the answer - we will know if our social distancing measures are working a few weeks after they were introduced."

"It is too soon to say," he adds.

On reaching ventilator capacity he says "I don't think we are anywhere near that scenario".

Professor Jonathan Van Tam says to find the most effective treatments you need to find out "the right dosage to use, the right patient to give it to and the right time to give it".

The deputy chief medical officer says it is "complicated stuff and the only way to unpick signals and get it right is clinical trials".

He confirms there are three trials already running, and the recruitment rate has been "astonishing".

The trials are focusing on existing drugs that may be used for something else, but they are going to move on to looking at new medicines in development.

Prof van Tam cannot give a date for when this will happen, saying it is going to be a "few months", "but it will all depend how quickly patients are recruited into the trials".

He adds: "The faster we go... the clearer and more emphatic signals we will get about what works and who it works for."

Two British nurses have died with coronavirus over the last 24 hours.

Speaking at today's UK briefing, England's chief nursing officer, Ruth May, paid tribute to them and urged the public to "stay at home for them".

One of the nurses has been named as mother-of-three Aimee O'Rourke, 39.

She died at her hospital Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate, Kent, on Thursday.

Her daughter Megan Murphy said her mother had been fighting for her life as the British public applauded key workers.

Paying tribute on Facebook, she wrote: "You are an angel and you will wear your NHS crown forever."

Acute medical unit ward manager Julie Gammon said she had been with Ms O'Rourke when she was admitted. "It was an honour to be able to be with her and to provide some comfort," she said.

Amanda Hallums, chief nurse, praised her determination to care for others and said everyone at the hospital would "forever remember her smile".

Ms O'Rourke's death comes shortly after it was announced that another nurse,36-year-old Areema Nasreen had died in the West Midlands,

Professor Jonathan Van Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer now talks through a series of slides.

The first two show a decline in use of transport and public activity which he describes as "encouraging".

However, he adds "we do not expect these changes to turn the curb on this awful disease immediately" and points to a chart showing a rise in cases.

"This remains a dangerous time," he says but adds "it is vitally important that people stay at home."

Image source, COBR

Image source, COBR

Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer in England offers her "sincere condolences" to the family and friends of two of her NHS colleagues who have died from the coronavirus - Aimee O'Rourke and Areema Nasreen.

"I worry there are going to be more," she says.

She thanks NHS staff for "pulling together to make sure we continue to prepare for the Covid-19 surge."

Matt Hancock ends his remarks with a reminder about the actions people need to take - despite the hot weather predicted for this weekend.

He says the country "absolutely cannot afford to relax social distancing measures", adding: "If we do people will die."

He continues: "I end with the advice we all know. This advice is not a request, it is an instruction.

"Stay at home, protect lives and then you will be doing your part."

Image source, bbc

In case you missed it earlier, the latest figures from the Department of Health show that the total number of people who have died with coronavirus in the UK has risen to 3,605. That is an increase of 684 from the previous day.

Meanwhile, there have been a total of 173,700 tests since the end of January. Health Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday set out an aim of achieving 100,000 tests per day by the end of April.

Matt Hancock says research on how to treat the virus is "absolutely central to the plan" to tackle it.

He says one trial, looking at existing drugs and how they might work in fighting Covid-19, has 926 participants.

But Mr Hancock appeals for more people to volunteer.

Until this research becomes fruitful though, he says the "only way to protect yourself and your family from this disease is to stay at home".

The health secretary says it is both a "national effort and international effort" to find treatments, and the government is willing to "move whatever mountains need to be moved".

After thanking those who are staying at home, Matt Hancock confirms the earlier announcement that there will be two more Nightingale Hospitals.

One will be in Bristol, with the capacity of up to 1,000 beds, and one in Harrogate, with 500 beds.

He says he has agreed with the Northern Ireland executive to deliver more PPE - over five million items, including goggles, aprons and masks

And he confirms 7,000 NHS staff have now been tested for the virus.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock opens the latest UK Covid-19 press conference and says the government’s plan is “to save as many lives as possible by protecting the NHS and preventing it from being overwhelmed.”

He appeals to people to stay at home to slow the spread of the virus.

Confirming the number of deaths in the UK - now standing at 3,605 - Mr Hancock says the coronavirus has continued its “grim march”.

And he marks the "national effort" of the building of the NHS Nightingale Hospital in London, saying it forms part of the plan to "boost the capacity of those who fall sick" - with more beds, staff and life-saving equipment.

Ferry companies and port operators need urgent support to stop routes being axed as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, Scotland's Transport Secretary Michael Matheson has said.

He said the lockdown had led to significant losses in recent weeks and warned that companies may soon have to make "difficult commercial decisions".

A joint letter from the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish Governments has urged UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to take action to prevent companies from collapsing.

Suggested measures include relaxing competition rules to allow ferry operators to work together and confirming that seafaring companies can take advantage of the coronavirus job retention scheme.

The letter also asks if freight capacity can be bought from ferry lines operating in the Irish Sea.

Mr Matheson said: "There is a strong case for the UK government to do more to support this vital sector during these unprecedented times and I look forward to their response on this important matter."

Douglas Fraser
Scotland business & economy editor

Image source, Aggreko

Aggreko, the supplier of temporary generators which has its base in Glasgow and Dumbarton, is offering up to 1,300 of its smaller power units to the NHS.

The firm, which supplies major sporting events and festivals including Glastonbury, has few users for its fleet of generators in Britain, because so many events have been cancelled.

The NHS will have to pay for transit and fuel, but the units are otherwise being provided free.

Aggreko was due to provide power to the Olympic Games in Tokyo later this year, as it has for the Olympics and major football tournaments in previous years. By the time the Japanese game were cancelled, it had already put in place much of the equipment, in a contract worth at least $200m (£160m).

The cost to Aggreko of delay until next year is being negotiated with the Olympics organisers.

Image source, Getty Images

The BBC will offer daily programmes to help parents and children with schoolwork at home during the lockdown.

Starting on 20 April, videos, quizzes, podcasts and articles will appear on BBC Bitesize Daily via the BBC iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Four and BBC Sounds.

Children's lessons will feature presenters including Oti Mabuse, Katie Thistleton and Karim Zeroual.

BBC director general Tony Hall called it "the biggest education effort the BBC has ever undertaken", while Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the plans were "public service broadcasting at its best".

Read the full story here.

BBC Newsreader George Alagiah is being treated for bowel cancer and has had a mild case of coronavirus.

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime with Fiona Stalker that he had a high temperature for several days and a dry throat - but not the cough normally associated with the virus.

George said he has come to terms with his cancer diagnosis and was not overly concerned about contracting the virus, as he has already faced "life or death choices".

Jenny Makinson, a clinical psychologist at the Maggies centre in Aberdeen, said many people with cancer, their families and friends had developed resilience.

Image source, Sandra Wilson

After being told her husband was dying from Covid-19, Sandra Wilson heard the doctor crying down the phone.

"He explained that I wouldn't be able to visit him and that he would look after him as if he was his own father or grandfather," she said.

"But there was nothing they could do to make him better."

Ian Wilson, 72, of Coatbridge, died two days after being taken into hospital on 27 March.

Read more here.