Prof Whitty, the UK's chief medical adviser, adds it is "very important" that children and adults take exercise, and being outside in the park is a "very good thing to do".

Speaking to the BBC's special coronavirus programme, he said: "The thing we are trying to avoid is people meeting up unnecessarily or having unnecessary social contact."

He says going to the park is encouraged, but crowding together with large groups of friends for long periods of time is advised against.

"My husband and I are both teachers.

We have three children in nursery and primary school.

We're not quite sure what this means for us.

We think we are key workers and therefore are assuming that our children will still be educated and looked after so that we can continue to work.

But will this be in our own schools? Are we to educate or babysit?

Will our children be able to attend their own school or be moved to a different setting?"

BBC reporter Sarah Campbell is at a GP's surgery in Bradford asking Dr Amir Khan viewers' questions for the BBC One coronavirus special.

Dr Khan says the message is "very clear" - if you have any of the symptoms, stay at home and go to the NHS 111 website.

He says there are still the "normal cold, coughs and bugs around", but for those coming in, they are being brought through a separate entrance and made to wear masks.

But the key change is people cannot come in without having phoned first.

"Every single patient is triaged on the phone, no-one can walk in and make an appointment," he says.

Dr Khan reassures people that his surgery is still doing home visits for elderly patients who need care, and children's immunisations are still being prioritised.

But his one message to patients is, if you have symptoms, "stay at home, don't come here, don't come to hospital... go on the NHS 111 website".

Official figures show the number of reported cases of coronavirus in France have risen 18% in the last 24 hours, with 9,134 infections.

French authorities say 175 people also died during the period, bringing the total death toll to 264.

"I’ve been on my own with my three children since my husband passed away in 2018.

The younger two are at pre-school and my eldest at middle school.

School has been a massive part in helping them keep some normality. They thrive on routine.

I'm worried for myself and my children.

I'm already struggling with everyone panic-buying and can't afford to stock pile, like some are.

My children would be in a safer, cleaner environment at school."

BBC medical correspondent Fergus Walsh has been answering some of your questions on the BBC's coronavirus special.

Asked why closing schools is necessary, he says the decision has been "inevitable" since Monday, when a "sobering" report by scientists at Imperial College London warned that unless the UK threw everything at suppressing the spread of the virus, "we could have a huge number of deaths here, as many as 250,000".

He says the closures could last for a "long time" because scientists modelling the virus fear once restrictions are lifted, the virus will flare up again.

He adds: "There is no exit strategy for the UK or any other country. It will have a massive economic and societal impact. There are no good options here, only bad ones."

The BBC One coronavirus special is now talking to the government's chief medical officer, Chris Whitty.

He tells the programme he "very much appreciates that closing schools is extraordinarily inconvenient for schools and disruptive for children".

But he says the outbreak has "reached a stage where closing schools will help slow the rise of the epidemic and help the NHS cope".

The chief medical officer says today's measures, where key workers' children can still go to school, will make it possible for the NHS to keep as many staff at work as possible - not just doctors and nurses, but the wider staff.

“My university has no clue what will happen with my final exams and how am I supposed to study with the university closed and my kids at home all day. It’s an impossible situation.

If exams keep going, where does that leave us?

My finals were in May and I was due to graduate at the beginning of July.

I’ve got a position to start work on 1st July, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to start.

Things are changing so fast.

Everyone on my course is panicking too.

We don’t’ know if we should apply for jobs. Everything has been postponed.

Our main concern is getting our assessments out of the way. Even applications are being kept on hold.

I’m keeping the kids away from some of the panic. “

You should be well aware of how to best protect yourself and others from the virus by now. That said, we'll repeat the basics for those who haven't been listening...

1. Wash your hands.
2. Cover your coughs and sneezes.
3. Avoid touching your face.
4. And keep your distance from those who are unwell.

But millions of people haven't much hope of following this advice. Why?

Read this piece to find out.

In the UK, we've just had some major news from the prime minister and education secretary.

The big announcement was that UK schools will close for the vast majority of pupils from Friday. All the details of that are explained here.

If you're just tuning in now, here are some other key things you should be aware of:

• Exams and assessments will not happen in the current academic year (Scotland will decide the details tomorrow)
• A national voucher system will be put in place for children eligible for free school meals
• Children should not be left with older relatives or grandparents who might be especially vulnerable to the virus, Boris Johnson said

• He did not rule out a lock-down of London, saying the government would not "hesitate in bringing forward further and faster measures" if necessary

• He reiterated that everyone must follow the government's latest social distancing advice, external, including avoiding travel and gatherings at pubs, cinemas, theatres and restaurants
• Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance warned that dismissing the guidance puts "lots of people at risk" .
• In the future, people in the UK might be able test themselves for the virus at home

If you want to find out more about the coronavirus outbreak there’s a BBC News special programme beginning shortly on BBC One.

Rachel Burden and Fergus Walsh will be looking at how the NHS and businesses are responding to the crisis, and they’ll be answering questions from the public.

If you're in the UK, you can watch it live on television or on the BBC iPlayer.

And we'll be bringing you updates from the programme here on the live page too.

Image source, Getty Images

The coronavirus is hitting the global economy hard and many, many people are worried about their jobs.

A new forecast from the UN's International Labour Organization says that the pandemic could in the worst case result in nearly 25 million people losing their jobs worldwide.

Their estimates indicate a rise in global unemployment of between 5.3 million and 24.7 million depending on how bad the economic effects are.

That upper estimate would exceed even the 2008 financial crisis in terms of global job losses.

A number of countries announced major economic packages yesterday in a bid to offset the impact of the outbreak but financial markets sank today, suggesting that deep pessimism remains.

In the US, large companies have already announced more than 3,600 job cuts or furloughs, according to research firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The group said some nine million other jobs at bars and restaurants could also be at risk.

Car factories in the UK and elsewhere have halted production, while the slowdown has pushed companies including Laura Ashley and Flybe into administration.

You can read more about the economic impact of the pandemic here.

In Britain, people who are showing particular symptoms are being told to self-isolate in order to stop the coronavirus from spreading further.

But how do you know if you’re just ill, feeling a bit ropey or if you have the symptoms of coronavirus?

Our reporter Laura Foster explains.

Many of us will be feeling quite worried at the moment. Here are a few more of our explainers that might help address any questions you have:

How to protect yourself

How to manage your mental health

What the virus does to the body

Jessica Parker
BBC political correspondent

There was a sense of inevitability as Boris Johnson arrived at today’s press conference, alongside his scientific advisers.

News had already emerged that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were closing schools. Now it’s been confirmed that England will do the same.

And with exams also being postponed (except in Scotland, where a decision will be made tomorrow), children and families face agonising uncertainty – and a situation that we could never have envisaged just a short while ago.

There will be scrutiny over whether this step should have been taken sooner like in other countries.

Boris Johnson maintains there has always been a "trade-off" - because while closing schools may help suppress the transmission of the virus it could also take key workers, who have children, out of action.

They’ve moved to mitigate that effect with school provision for those workers. And, as ever, drilling down into the detail of what’s been announced today, and how these measures will really work, will be vitally important.

But the big picture – that ministers have moved to close the country’s schools in this way – is unprecedented. Going to school or sending your kids off to get their education is intrinsically woven into the fabric of people’s lives. And there has always been a sense from ministers that they were reluctant to go down this road before it became absolutely necessary.

That judgement call has now been made. The trade-off has tipped to the other side.

Image source, PA Media

We reported earlier that organisers have cancelled this year's Eurovision Song Contest. The final sing-off was scheduled to take place in the Dutch city of Rotterdam on 16 May, but talks are under way to hold it in the city next year instead.

News of the decision has hit many members of the public hard, including the BBC's Moscow correspondent (and Eurovision superfan) Steve Rosenberg.

More than 40 countries take part in the competition, but it is not known whether this year's contestants will be invited back.

Some of them have been reacting to the news on social media.

Latvia's Samanta Tina expressed her shock, and said in a separate tweet that she had not yet made a decision about participating next year.

Iceland's Daði Freyr, tipped as a favourite to win the contest, also expressed frustration at not being able to perform.

The Mamas, who were due to represent Sweden, said in a statement that they were "incredibly sorry on a personal level" but said the outbreak was "bigger than the fact that we can’t go to Rotterdam".

Vicki Young
Chief Political Correspondent

Yet again, we have had another incredibly sombre moment as measures have progressed more and become more serious.

And another part of people's lives has now been affected.

If you look at other countries who have done something similar, like the Netherlands for example, it won't just be health workers whose children can still go to school.

It will be people who are needed, who are fundamental at this time, like supermarket delivery drivers, but it will be a large number of workers.

For those pupils due to take exams, the PM said they won't impede the progress of those students, which suggests to me some kind of predicted grade system.

They are still working out the details, but it was very telling that the PM said the government is willing to go further and faster.

For all of us watching, you can't help but think there will be more coming.

Image source, Getty Images

Following that wave of updates from the UK, let's take a look elsewhere.

It’s worth remembering that Italy has been one of the hardest hit countries by the virus. The latest stats - which have just been released - make clear just how devastating it's been there.

Despite a raft of tough measures and a strict lockdown, deaths in Italy surged by 475 over the past day to 2,978. The number of cases also shot up to 35,713 from 31,506.

That's the biggest increase since the outbreak began.

The majority of deaths have occurred in the northern Lombardy region, which contains the capital Milan. Hospitals there are reportedly at breaking point and retired doctors and nurses are being asked to return to work.

"I make a heartfelt appeal to all the doctors, nurses and medical personnel who have retired in the last two years... to help us in this emergency," the region’s governor, Attilio Fontana, said earlier today.

It’s a similar picture across the rest of Italy. The government is trying to plug gaps in its stretched healthcare system, and it’s even pushed 10,000 student doctors into service nine-months ahead of schedule.

More widely, officials have not ruled out extending the full lockdown beyond the start of April. Bars, restaurants and most shops in Italy have closed as have schools and universities. Nearly all Italians have been told to stay at home.

But even with these restrictions the number of cases continues to rise. “The contagion numbers are not falling, they continue to be high," Mr Fontana said.

“We are asking people to make sacrifices to save lives."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has hinted at more stringent measures to enforce the government's advice to people about the coronavirus.

The government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said modelling used to analyse Britain's response assumes a majority will take measures to reduce the spread of the virus.

"When we do not adhere to this we are putting the sickest patients at risk," he says.

He adds that people should view the government's latest guidelines as "a really clear instruction" - not merely advice.

Mr Johnson says it is "strong advice" - but he adds: "We do not rule out taking further and faster measures in due course."

The UK's National Education Union says it welcomes the government's decision.

"It is better for this to take place in an ordered way than the chaotic pattern of closures that was developing," Kevin Courtney, the union's joint secretary said.

Cancelling SATs, GCSE, AS- and A-Level exams "offers some degree of reassurance to teachers, their students and parents", he added.

Asked whether schools that have already closed to pupils will be forced to re-open to key worker children, Mr Johnson says the government will work to ensure that - where necessary - schools will provide facilities for those pupils.

"Not every school [will be] providing the service for key workers and the vulnerable," he adds.

However, he says that on Monday 23 March vulnerable children and the children of key-worker parents should turn up to their current school as normal.