Image source, Getty Images

We’ve been watching the World Health Organization’s regular press conference, in which its director general addressed the dire economic impact the virus is having. If countries rush to lift their restrictions, the economic crisis could be worse and prolonged, warned Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, external and International Monetary Fund chief Krisalina Georgieva. Here are more details of what they said:

• The economic and social impact of measures to control the pandemic are profound, but lifting restrictions could make the effects worse because it would prolong the crisis
• “Never in the history of the IMF have we witnessed the world economy coming to a standstill,” said Ms Georgieva - adding that the crisis is "way worse" than the 2008 financial crash

• Refugees, migrants and the homeless should receive cash transfers to help them access care
• Dr Tedros called on countries to protect support for victims of domestic violence as an essential service
• The WHO’s house-to-house polio vaccination programme is being suspended to allow healthcare workers to focus on the Covid-19 response

Jessica Parker
BBC political correspondent

The overriding message today spoke to an overriding concern - that this weekend’s warm weather could increasingly tempt people outside and see some flout the social distancing rules.

Hence the constant repetition of "stay at home".

In language that some may find draconian, the health secretary said that the guidelines are "not a request" but rather an "instruction".

And the government has constantly reiterated that it rules nothing out should the scientific advice suggest that restrictions should go further.

However, indications from Downing St suggest that measures such as those seen in France, where people have to produce forms, aren’t under active discussion.

Meanwhile, Matt Hancock has again been talking about his target of achieving 100,000 tests per day by the end of this month – a huge leap from where we are now.

By setting that aim he has alleviated some of the political pressure that the government was under - following days of criticism that it’s been slow to act on testing.

But while the new target buys ministers some time the health secretary will know that it's only a temporary respite.

The government’s success or failure on this vital issue will now be measured next to this target - and within weeks.

Image source, Reuters

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ended her 12-day quarantine and returned to the chancellery after testing negative for coronavirus.

Merkel had been working from home in self isolation after receiving a bacterial pneumonia vaccination on 20 March from a doctor who was later found to have coronavirus.

Germany has recorded 1,107 coronavirus deaths.

Today's conference was held by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, chief nursing officer Ruth May and Professor Jonathan Van Tam, the deputy chief medical officer.

Here's what they told us:

• Two nurses have died of coronavirus in the past 24 hours. They were named as Aimee O'Rourke and Areema Nasreen
• Two more NHS Nightingale field hospitals have been commissioned for Bristol and Harrogate, to join those already opened in London and planned in Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow
• Over 2,000 critical care beds are currently free and available across the UK, without counting any of the new Nightingale facilities
• 7,000 NHS staff have been tested for coronavirus
• Three major clinical trials have been commissioned, including looking at how existing drugs could be used to treat the virus. The trials look at three stages: primary care (GPs etc), hospital care, and recovery

• The NHS is looking for volunteers for these trials but this will be recommended by a patient's clinicians

• We are "not anywhere close" to breaching the NHS's ventilator capacity

• The government is still looking for a working antibody test, which would be used to determine if someone has had the virus

• There is "no evidence" that wearing face marks for the general healthy public affects the spread of the disease

Matt Hancock rounds off the briefing by thanking the two experts by his side.

And he says there would "no doubt be more to come in these daily press conferences".

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."

Briefly away from the UK government press conference, 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 are 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
• Poland has closed forests and national parks as part of its attempts to slow the spread of the virus.

Matt Hancock is asked about promises of antibody tests that have yet to emerge - which will show if some 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."

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, as we reported earlier.

Her friend Dr Samara Afzal, said she was "very bubbly" and a "fantastic role model".

In a statement, her Trust said: "She always said that she was so blessed to have the role of a nurse which she absolutely loved because she wanted to feel like she could make a difference - and you did, Areema, you will be very sadly missed."

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."

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 secretarysays 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".

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 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.

For a visual guide to the coronavirus pandemic, head here.

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 been now been tested for the virus.

Matt Hancock 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 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 - the health secretary for England 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.

England's Health Secretary Matt Hancock opens today's press conference on the coronavirus.

Image source, John Wright

We are expecting the UK government’s press conference to start any minute with a small change to the line-up - England's chief nursing officer, Ruth May, will be speaking at the presser instead of Prof John Newton.

Meanwhile, you can read the latest diary entry from Dr John Wright, who tells us what he is facing at the Bradford Royal Infirmary during the outbreak.