Image source, Getty Images

There is a lot of talk in the UK about how the easing of lockdown measures could depend on getting a vaccine or treatment ready.

While we wait to hear from the government in its latest daily update, read the analysis from BBC health and science correspondent James Gallagher on how close we are.

The White House has released a statement explaining why Ivanka Trump travelled across state lines even as the federal government she works for was advising people to remain at home.

The US president's eldest daughter and her husband, Trump adviser Jared Kushner, and children travelled to the Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey last week to celebrate Passover.

Lockdown orders issued by the mayor of Washington DC, where Ivanka Trump lives, ordered residents on 1 April to only leave the home for "essential" travel.

Days earlier she had told her Twitter followers: "Those lucky enough to be in a position to stay at home, please, please do so.”

After her travel was first reported by the New York Times on Thursday, the White House attempted to justify her decision.

The travel was to "a closed-down facility considered to be a family home" and the "travel was no different than had she been traveling to/from work," said the statement provided to US media.

"The location was less populated than the surrounding area near her home" in DC, the statement continued, adding: "Her travel was not commercial. She chose to spend a holiday in private with her family."

Image source, Reuters

We should be hearing from the UK government in the next 30 minutes, but first let’s take a look at the latest from around the country:

• A total of 13,729 people hospitalised with coronavirus have now died in the UK
• Another three weeks of lockdown measures are expected to be announced
• A scientific adviser to the government says the UK must keep a "significant level" of social distancing until a vaccine for coronavirus is found
• But Labour continues to call for details of an exit strategy for when the time comes
• A proposal to set up a virtual Parliament has been agreed by Commons authorities
• The Office for National Statistics (ONS) says more than nine in 10 people dying with coronavirus have an underlying health condition
• War veteran Tom Moore, 99, has raised more than £13m for the NHS by doing a sponsored walk in his garden

Chris Bockman, Toulouse

The landlocked principality of Andorra squeezed between Spain and France has been hit hard by Covid-19.

As of Thursday at least 673 residents have come down with the virus and 33 have died, in a country with a population of just over 77,000.

A government spokesman told me that six million people visit the tiny country each year - often to go skiing or for duty-free shopping - and that may explain the high infection rate.

Due to a lack of medical staff, the government invited 39 doctors and nurses from Cuba to help treat patients.

Meanwhile in France, pet shelters have re-opened today despite the lockdown. The nationwide animal charity the SPA had warned that thousands of pets would have to be put to sleep because of over-crowding and a surge in abandoned cats and dogs.

Following a public outcry the government backed down, and you can now leave your home in order to adopt a pet.

Image source, Reuters

With over 22m US jobs wiped out in the past few weeks, Americans whose businesses were recently booming have watched the US economy shrink back to 2008 levels.

Glenn Hawker, who co-owns a hair salon in Virginia, had planned to expand his business before the virus hit.

“There’s absolutely zero dollars,” says the 49-year-old, who now finds himself unemployed.

Because he is an independent contractor, he hasn't been able to get unemployment assistance. And because his salary is about $75,000 (the cutoff to receive coronavirus bailout funding), he doesn't expect to receive a stimulus cheque from the government.

He has applied for a small-business loan, but is now on a waiting list.

Through the Paycheck Protection Program, as the initiative is known, more than 1.4m loans have been approved. But funds have run low, and Hawker and others have received nothing.

“The money that’s there, it’s not there,” he says.

But, Hawker tells the BBC, “You can’t just lament about having no money. You have to hustle.”

In the past few days, he's taken to delivering shampoo to clients and advertising a contest to win free highlights for a year, while he dreams of a day when he can see customers again.

Ninety-nine-year-old war veteran Captain Tom Moore has now raised more than £14m and counting for the NHS.

Capt Tom captured hearts in the UK after setting out to walk 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday, and has received messages from doctors, nurses, celebrities, politicians and sports stars.

This is his story...

Image source, Getty Images

We've just had it confirmed that the UK government will give its daily briefing at 17:00 BST (16:00 GMT).

The briefing will be led by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for Prime Minister Boris Johnson while he recovers from coronavirus.

He will be joined by the government’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, and its chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance.

Police in the US found 17 bodies in the morgue of a care home in New Jersey on Monday following a tip-off, according to US media reports.

The officers had been told there was a body in the shed at the Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center II, but when they arrived they found 17 bodies in a morgue designed to hold just four.

"The staff was clearly overwhelmed and probably short-staffed," Andover Police Chief Eric Danielson told CNN.

According to the New York Times, the deceased were among 68 recent deaths linked to the facility and the Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center I, including two nurses. Twenty-six of those who died had tested positive for coronavirus, while the cause of death for the remaining 42 is unknown.

During a health inspection carried out by Medicare in March, the centre was found to be "much below average".

Care homes across the world have been struggling to cope with the spread of the virus.

The number of coronavirus hospital deaths in the UK has risen by 861, bringing the total number to 13,729, according to figures from the Department of Health and Social Care., external

The Department of Health said that, as of 0900 on Thursday, 327,608 people have been tested, of whom 103,093 tested positive.

Overall, 417,649 tests have been carried out, with 18,665 on Wednesday, excluding data from Northern Ireland.

Image source, Royal Navy/ PA Wire

A British naval officer has made history by passing out of training by himself.

Sub Lt Matthew Poxon was unable to make the official ceremony at Britannia Royal Naval College in Devon as he was in self-isolation.

A separate parade was held for him, the first solo passing-out in the college's 157-year history.

"At least I couldn't be out of step with the rest of my division," he said.

Sub Lt Poxon, from Hampshire, joined the Royal Navy as a rating in 2010 and reached the rank of petty officer before being selected for promotion to the Officer Corps in 2017.

Read more about the ceremony here.

Image source, Twitter

Pro cyclist Dylan Groenewegen is putting the skills from his day job to good use during the coronavirus pandemic - by delivering groceries to care workers and the elderly.

The Dutchman, a four-time Tour de France stage winner, has been out on his bike, taking goods to those who are unable to shop themselves.

The cycling season has been halted by the virus, but Groenewegen is still wearing his team kit (and a smile.)

Image source, Getty Images

Ex-Leeds United and England footballer Norman Hunter "remains severely unwell" in hospital, his former club have said.

Hunter, 76, who played for England 28 times in the 1960s and 70s, and helped Leeds become English champions twice, was admitted to hospital and tested positive for coronavirus last week.

Leeds' statement said:, external "Norman Hunter continues to battle the Covid-19 virus in hospital and while he is, as expected, fighting incredibly hard, remains severely unwell."

• A further 32 people in Wales have died after testing positive for coronavirus, taking the total number to 495, Public Health Wales (PHW) has said.
• Another 18 people in Northern Ireland diagnosed with coronavirus have died in hospital there, according to the Public Health Agency, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths in the region to 158.
• In England, there have been 740 new deaths of people who tested positive for Covid-19, NHS England announced, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 12,396.
• We heard earlier that another 80 people have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths there to 779.

UK-wide figures will be released later this afternoon by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Despite the global pandemic, the UK is still in negotiations with the EU over their future trading relationship - and one side is refusing to extend the timetable.

After the UK left the bloc in January, it entered a so-called "transition period" - meaning the UK would continue to follow certain EU rules until the end of the year while the details were hammered out.

Boris Johnson said he would refuse to extend the period past December 2020 - but now figures on both sides of the channel have suggested it should be longer owing to the havoc caused by Covid-19.

The UK government isn't keen, however. The PM's official spokesman said: "If the EU asks, we will say no," adding that it would "prolong the delay and uncertainty".

Image source, Getty Images

In just a month, the coronavirus pandemic has erased the equivalent of all the jobs created in the US since the 2008-2009 recession.

Analysts say the US has not faced such an economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Economists are hopeful unemployment numbers will begin to come down in the coming days, as small businesses get help from the government, and governors discuss how to reopen parts of the country where the virus has peaked.

President Trump is expected to announce new guidance for re-opening states ahead of 1 May later today.

As part of a $2tn coronavirus aid package, the federal government has also started sending out economic relief cheques to some 80 million Americans - up to $1,200 per individual and $500 for each child.

However, it's worth noting the jobless claims do not capture the full picture as not everyone qualifies for unemployment benefits. The self-employed and gig workers have also seen delays in filing for benefits as they only qualified thanks to the March relief bill.

Danny Shaw
BBC Home Affairs Correspondent

Police have been told to stop people working in parks or sitting on benches for a long time.

Guidance to officers in England says neither activity is likely to be a “reasonable excuse” for someone to leave their home during the lockdown.

But the advice - from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing - said people can move to a friend's address for a ‘cooling-off’ period “following arguments at home”.

It said such moves must be “genuine” and “measured in days, not hours”.

The advice comes from a three-page document designed to help officers enforce the lockdown measures which were brought in three weeks ago and look set to be extended.

Part of the guidance spells out that it is acceptable to buy luxury items while shopping, and that driving somewhere to exercise is acceptable as long as "far more time" is spent walking than driving.

Image source, Sian Brindlow

Some women hoping to become mothers are worried their chances may have been lost to the coronavirus, as fertility clinics around the world stop treatment.

Among them is Sian Brindlow, 40, from West Sussex, who has been trying to have a child with her husband for 12 years.

"I am scared all those dreams are gone," she said.

Bans on treatment have come into effect in many countries including the UK, US and India.

You can read her story here.

Image source, get

Dog-walking near your home is still allowed in Italy, under one of Europe's strictest lockdowns. But in Rome police fined a 60-year-old woman €206 (£180) for walking her pet tortoise, Italian media report.

Going at tortoise pace evidently gave her more time to linger in the spring sunshine. But now the tortoise's urban adventures are over.

Italians have to fill out a form and carry it each time they leave home, so they can show police why they are outdoors. Italy is the worst-hit European country, with 21,645 deaths linked to Covid-19.

About 14,000 people were fined in Italy over the Easter weekend for breaching the lockdown rules, Ansa news agency reports.

For those in countries under lockdown, we've been advised not to go out and stay at home. But why is it so important? We break down the numbers for you, and what the rules are like in the UK.

"Covid-19 anywhere is Covid-19 everywhere," Melinda Gates said as she called for global co-operation to beat the pandemic.

The philanthropist was speaking to Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 5 Live after President Donald Trump announced the US would stop funding the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - the second-largest funder of the WHO - has pledged a further $150m (£120m) to fight Covid-19, but she said they did not expect a vaccine to be available for 18 months.

Gates also said:

• Her family had predicted a pandemic, making preparations including storing food, but had "hoped we would never see it in our lifetime"

• When they saw the Wuhan data, she and Bill said - "Oh my gosh, this is actually happening"
• "There are no tools, nothing we can do specifically, no drugs or vaccine. It is a disease we are all in together"
• The UK has shown leadership by funding research because "the vaccine is the way to go"
• De-funding the WHO now makes "no sense".