Panic-bought toilet roll? Well, there's now a stool-themed tool that shows you exactly how excessive you've been.

Dmytro Spilka, from London, developed the Coronavirus Poop Calculator - or the Poop Tool for short - when he saw people clearing supermarket shelves of loo roll. Often, this had led to empty shelves for those who really need it.

"The main purpose of the tool is to help people realise that they don't actually need that much toilet paper to survive the quarantine, thereby allowing others - more vulnerable people - to shop normally," he told the BBC.

You can try the Poop Tool out here., external

Image source, The Poop Tool

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he will issue an order demanding state hospitals increase their capacity by at least 50%.

There are at least 20,875 confirmed cases in New York state - making up almost 6% of cases worldwide.

Mr Cuomo echoed concerns from officials throughout the country about states competing against each other for supplies amid widespread shortages.

“I’m bidding up other states,” he said. “California offers them $4, I offer $5, another state calls in and offers $6. It’s not the way to do it.”

The governor said he had spoken to Illinois Governor Jay Pritzker, who has also expressed anxiety about the state-by-state bidding war for desperately needed supplies, such as masks and ventilators.

Governor Cuomo said he had made progress in securing hundreds of thousands of items equipment - including masks, gloves and gowns.

“Today we can get masks to everyone who needs them,” he said.

His announcement follows continued warnings from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio about his city’s dire need for medical supplies.

“If we don’t get the equipment, we’re literally going to lose lives,” he said.

So far, New York has tested more than 78,000 people, Mr Cuomo said - more testing per capita than South Korea, which has been heralded for its efficient response.

A further 46 people in England who tested positive for Covid-19 have died, NHS England has said.The patients were aged between 47 and 105 years old and all had underlying health conditions.

This brings the total UK death toll to 335, with four deaths announced in both Scotland and Wales earlier on Monday.

Image source, PA Media

Over the past week, the UK’s prime minister has been holding daily press conferences, normally held around 17:00 GMT.

But the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg says Boris Johnson will be chairing his daily emergency meeting to address the crisis at that time.

She says we are expecting to hear more from the PM later this evening though, so stay tuned for more updates.

Social distancing is at the centre of debate in the UK, after people were pictured ignoring government advice and crowding into parks and other places over the weekend.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the behaviour as "very selfish", and the government said it was prepared to follow other countries in taking "more action" if its advice wasn't followed.

Social distancing is important because the coronavirus spreads when an infected person coughs small droplets - packed with the virus - into the air. These can be breathed in, or can cause an infection if you touch a surface they have landed on, and then touch your face with unwashed hands.

You can read more about the UK advice on social distancing and self isolation here, or watch the video below.

House of Commons
Parliament

In the House of Commons, MPs have started debating a new law to give emergency powers to the UK government to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

Among other powers, the bill would allow officials to shut airports and detain people on public health grounds, while immigration officials could place people in isolation.

The powers were due to last two years - but after some opposition MPs voiced concern, the government has agreed to amend the bill so they have to be renewed every six months.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the bill contains powers "never seen before in peacetime," but they are "proportionate to the threat we face".

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) says the coronavirus pandemic is "accelerating".

Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “It took 67 days from the first reported case to reach 100,000 cases, 11 days for the second 100,000 cases, and just four days for the third 100,000 cases.”

He said he would address G20 heads of state and government this week to ask them to work together to boost production of protective gear.

House of Commons
Parliament

British MPs are due to go on their Easter break on 31 March - but rumours have been circulating they might shut up shop early because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Leader of the House, Jacob Rees-Mogg, has told MPs it is being considered, but the government wants to ensure emergency legislation to tackle the crisis goes through first.

The initial stages of the bill are due to begin on Monday afternoon.

His statement comes after the Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle announced a number of measures to increase social distancing while Parliament is open.

They include staggering votes, looking into video conferencing for committees, and closing bars - as well as banning alcohol sales on the estate immediately.

British bus operators have been announcing reduced timetables, in response to the government's measure's to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Operators in north-east England, external and Scotland have said they will reduce services from Monday, while there will be fewer services in the West Midlands, external from Wednesday. It follows similar commitments from other operators.

It comes as many people across the country begin to work from home in order to reduce the chances of spreading the virus.

The government has told BBC News it is working with bus operators and "urgently looking at ways to support the industry".

Meanwhile, new rail timetables began across the UK on Monday. Many passengers affected have been told they are entitled to refunds.

Europe's Schengen area is the largest border-free zone in the world, but efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus have caused serious disruption.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced so-called "green lane" measures to make sure goods keep flowing throughout the whole of the single market.

"The measures introduced to slow down the spread of virus have also slowed down and sometimes paralysed transport," she said in a video posted on Twitter.

"The priority is now to ensure that the main axes of our traffic in the EU are unblocked."

The commission president announced a four-point plan. Border crossings should take no more than 15 minutes, green lanes are open to all forms of goods, member states should relax regulations on drivers, and there should be less paperwork for transport workers.

"The fight against the virus will take a long time," she said. "The strength and the means to win that fight will come from our great single market."

Just a few weeks ago, the BBC World Service produced this video (above) about professional dog walkers in Buenos Aires. You normally see them all around the city, often wrangling multiple leads and they are vital to many workers with limited outside space.

It has all changed since then.

Now, their work is forbidden; you can’t even walk your own dog. The whole of Argentina is under strict lockdown and people have been told they can only take their dogs outside to “do their business”.

Those who disobey face detention. Buenos Aires’ Justice Secretary Marcelo D'Alessandro said 564 people had been detained in the city up until Monday. Nationwide, the number is close to 5,000, according to figures from the previous day.

Mr D'Alessandro told local station Radio La Red they were also stopping drivers en route to beach towns to question them. One driver insisted he was going to look after his mother, but two surfboards on the roof aroused suspicion.

Philippa Roxby
Health reporter, BBC News

There have been increasing numbers of people reporting a lost sense of smell and taste on social media.

Some have tested positive for the new coronavirus, while others who haven’t had a test wonder if the symptoms could be another common sign of it.

Ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists in the UK have also noticed the rising reports of anosmia - the term for loss of smell - amid the pandemic.

It's no surprise that this would happen - viruses behind the common cold often cause us to lose our sense of smell and/or taste too.

But the specialists say it should be added to the list of symptoms for triggering self-isolation - especially in the absence of any other symptoms.

The move could “reduce the number of otherwise asymptomatic individuals who continue to act as vectors, not realising the need to self-isolate”, says the doctors’ body ENT UK.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology agrees that the symptoms should alert doctors to screen patients for the virus.

And with ear, nose and throat surgeons currently experiencing higher rates of infection compared to other healthcare workers, there could be a link.

In Germany, specialists note that more than two-thirds of coronavirus cases experienced anosmia.

In South Korea, 30% of patients who tested positive said a lost sense of smell was their main symptom if their other symptoms were only mild.

However, the evidence at present is all anecdotal and has not been confirmed by research.

The main symptoms of coronavirus continue to be a high temperature and a new, continuous cough, which means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours.

Image source, EPA

If you're just joining us, here's a summary of what's happened in the UK so far today:

• The UK government says it is willing to bring in stricter measures to enforce social distancing if some people continue to ignore advice. Read our full story here
• People across the UK who are most at risk from the virus are being told to stay at home for 12 weeks
• Meanwhile, MPs are set to debate emergency legislation that would grant powers aimed at tackling the pandemic.
• Parents are being urged to keep their children at home, unless "absolutely necessary", with schools across the UK now closed to most pupils
• The government has announced a package of measures to help the UK rail industry and has promised commuters with season tickets that they will receive a refund if they choose to stay at home
• All new jury trials in England and Wales have been halted until they can be conducted safely
• The UK's death toll has reached 289 - including a person aged 18 with an underlying health condition. There are 5,683 confirmed cases of the virus

Ethiopia has introduced strict measures, including closing its borders, as the number of confirmed cases rises to 11.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced that from Monday, the nation's defence forces would halt all movement along Ethiopia's borders except for goods coming in.

Security forces are also going to enforce a ban on large gatherings that's already in place.

The PM also said the government would allocate 5bn Birr ($150m; £129m) towards trying to halt the spread of the disease.

Denmark's prime minister has just announced that a nationwide lockdown will be extended until 13 April.

The lockdown has closed schools and restaurants in the country and kept most public sector workers at home.

In a press conference, PM Mette Frederiksen said the extended lockdown would mean schools, bars, libraries, gyms, hairdressers and other services would remain closed for another two weeks.

The country has reported more than 1,300 coronavirus cases and 13 deaths so far, according to the World Health Organization.

It is just one of many countries around the world to order lockdowns in a bid to tackle the virus. You can find out how such measures are being enforced by clicking here.

Image source, AFP

In Tunisia, the army has been deployed on the streets to ensure people are respecting the lockdown put in place on Sunday. It requires people to stay at home except to buy necessities.

The country has reported 89 confirmed cases of the virus and three deaths.

Schools across the UK are only open to the children of those classified as "key workers", external by the government, and the most vulnerable children.

Head teachers say parents appear to have heeded warnings not to send children into school unless as a last resort.

For some, like Louis - one of only four pupils to go into his school - and his mum Sharon, there was no other option.

BBC News went back to school to meet them.

The constant cycle of information about the coronavirus can feel overwhelming, so we have created a visual guide to the pandemic to explain what is going on.

Europe is currently at the centre of the crisis, with Italy reporting the highest death toll of any single country. Meanwhile, the US is facing a surge in cases.

You can see our full visual guide - including a map of the situation in Europe and charts on the UK and Italy's death toll - by clicking here.

As the UK government urges the public to follow advice on social distancing, some doctors are calling for more stringent measures.

Helen Ward, a professor of public health at Imperial College London, is one of a group of doctors who wrote to the Times newspaper, external on Saturday to warn the UK is "losing a very small window of opportunity to minimise the disease burden from Covid-19 and prevent a health system collapse".

She has told BBC Radio 4's the World at One programme that hospitals in some parts of the country like London are already filling up.

“We have to stop the pressure on the NHS... the best way to do that is to have a national lockdown," she said.

"We have to stop this non-essential travel and business and we have to enforce social distancing.

“If we don’t have these stringent measures now we will continue to see a steady growth in the number of cases."

Welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic - and a particularly warm welcome if you're one of the thousands joining us from self-isolation.

There are now 350,000 confirmed cases worldwide, with almost 15,000 deaths and nearly 100,000 people recovering.

To catch you up, here are the latest headlines from today.

• UK MPs are debating stricter measures on social distancing. A total of 281 people with the virus in the UK have died, and there are 5,683 confirmed cases.
• Italy has entered a tougher lockdown, and all "non-essential" businesses have closed
• The death toll in Spain has now passed 2,000.
• Canada and Australia have both said they won't send teams to the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo - but the games still haven't been postponed

• But in positive developments, South Korea has reported its lowest number of new cases in weeks

Image source, Getty Images