Around the world, self-isolation and social distancing have been adopted as essential measures to stop the virus spreading.

Here's how to do both properly, based on UK guidelines. And if you don't need the info - maybe sharing it will reach those who still don't seem to know what two metres looks like...

Germany's Health Minister Jens Spahn has said the country's coronavirus outbreak is "again under control" following lockdown measures.

"The infection numbers have sunk significantly, especially the relative day-by-day number," AFP quoted him as saying on Friday.

Spahn also said a new coronavirus contact tracing app will be ready within "weeks" for Germans to use.

Germany has been praised for its aggressive testing efforts. It has almost 138,000 positive cases, according to Johns Hopkins University tracking, and 3,868 people have died nationally with the virus, which is a relatively low number.

The country is contemplating easing some restrictions, with smaller shops expected to re-open as early as next week and some schools set to resume teaching at the start of May.

Image source, PA Media

A gown is a piece of PPE - personal protective equipment - used to protect the body of someone who might come into contact with coronavirus.

It should be made of water-resistant material and have long sleeves. If the gown is not water-resistant, a waterproof apron is needed underneath to protect the wearer from droplets containing the virus.

The World Health Organization says , externalgowns should be worn by all doctors, nurses and cleaners who enter coronavirus patients' rooms in hospitals.

They should also be used by those handling virus samples in labs, and by healthcare workers, cleaners and ambulance crews in places where patients with suspected coronavirus symptoms are seen.

Public Health England guidance , externalsays hospital staff can sometimes use gowns for a whole session, such as a ward round or when caring for several patients in ICU. Otherwise, a single use is recommended.

Correction 22:10 BST: On Friday the BBC reported an NHS trust boss had asked it for help sourcing protective gowns for staff. We should clarify the person concerned is not the boss of an NHS trust, but part of a network of organisations helping to source PPE for some NHS trusts.

From drinking cow urine to avoiding ice cream, there has been a lot of talk online about the different ways you can beat or avoid the coronavirus - and not a lot of it is true.

We are debunking several myths in an ongoing Reality Check series (part 1 and part 2). Here's our latest video on why lemon juice cannot protect you from getting infected, and mosquitoes are not passing on the coronavirus.

Tulip Mazumdar
Global Health Correspondent

Image source, AFP

It's been just over two months since the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in Africa.

South Africa currently has the most severe outbreak in the region, with more than 2,500 cases. Major outbreaks have also hit Egypt and Algeria.

Now, countries including Cameroon, Niger, the Ivory Coast and Guinea have all reported a sharp rise in cases over the last week, with hundreds of infections each.

If Covid-19 is able to take hold on the continent, the consequences could be far more devastating than what we have seen in Europe and the US.

The World Health Organization says there are only around five intensive care beds available for every one million people in most African countries. That is compared with around 4,000 beds for every million people in Europe.

But the UN agency says there is still time to prevent the massive outbreaks we have seen elsewhere unfolding in Africa too.

The continent has, after all, successfully fought off many deadly outbreaks in the past.

But this is a brand new virus, and Africa needs to be properly resourced in order to fight it.

Image source, Getty Images

London buses will temporarily become middle-door only boarding from Monday in a bid to improve social distancing and protect drivers, says Transport for London (TfL).

Passengers will also not be required to "touch in" and have been told not to approach the card reader near the driver.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "I will continue to do whatever it takes to keep our heroic transport workers as safe as possible.

"But I would like to remind Londoners that you shouldn't be travelling by any mode of transport unless it is absolutely necessary, and public transport is only open for critical workers."

TfL said the measure will "add another layer of protection on top of the other robust safeguards in place".

Image source, EPA

Raising more than £17m for the NHS, becoming a national treasure in the process, and now being dubbed a "one-man fundraising machine" by a prince - it has been some week for Captain Tom Moore.

The 99-year-old World War Two veteran set himself the challenge of walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday on 30 April, with the aim of raising £1,000.

He has far surpassed that target, and Prince William expressed his thanks to Capt Tom during an interview with the BBC.

"He's a one-man fundraising machine and God knows what the final total will be. But good on him, and I hope it keeps going," said the Duke of Cambridge, who has made an undisclosed donation.

"What I love also is he's a 99-year-old war vet, he's been around a long time, knows everything, and it's wonderful that everyone has been inspired by his story and his determination."

In response, Capt Tom said it was "absolutely amazing that my super Prince can say something like that" and was "a moment we will never forget".

Roger Harrabin
BBC environment analyst

A new poll suggests that most people in the UK will want to alter their lives in some way after the coronavirus pandemic.

In fact, only 9% of people say they want life to return to how it was before. Some 54% agreed with this statement: "I hope to change some things about my life and I hope we will have learned from this as a country."

Some respondents (51%) said they had noticed the air was cleaner and others (27%) said they had seen more wildlife. Four in 10 said there had been a stronger sense of community and the feeling of neighbours looking out for each other.

And 39% are more in touch with friends and family, aided by the boom in video-chats.

More than 4,000 people were questioned across the UK for the YouGov poll commissioned by the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in partnership with a charity, Food Foundation.

On attitudes to food, around four out of 10 people are valuing it more – and cooking more from raw ingredients.

But the survey suggests those feeling fitter (9%) - and exercising more (27%) - are cancelled out by people exercising less (36%).

Image source, AFP

China has denied there has been a cover-up of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

The comments by Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian came hours after the death toll in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged, was revised upwards by 1,290 people.

He said this was the result of a statistical review to ensure accuracy and that revisions are a common international practice, Reuters news agency reports.

It's not just the spread of the virus we should be concerned about - there's lots of misleading coronavirus advice being shared on social media and in private messages too.

The BBC's Zeinab Badawi explains how to check if what you're about to forward is real or fake, and how to slow the online spread of falsehoods which could put lives at risk.

• As we reported earlier China's economy has shrunk for the first time in decades. New data show it contracted 6.8% in the first quarter of the year, amid coronavirus-related business and factory closures
• On Friday the country also revised the death toll in Wuhan - the city where the Covid-19 outbreak started. New figures show a 50% rise of confirmed deaths, up by 1,290 to 3,869 in total
• French President Emmanuel Macron has questioned China's handling of the coronavirus outbreak saying things "happened that we don't know about"
• Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended plans to roll out a new Covid-19 contact-tracing app amid privacy concerns. He also refused to rule-out making downloading the app mandatory and said it should be seen as a "matter of national service" to use it
• US President Donald Trump has unveiled new guidelines to governors about gradually re-opening up their state economies in three stages. There has been a mixed reception to the plans, with a leading Democrat calling them vague and inconsistent

Imagine coming back to Earth after one year away. Things are, well, a bit different.

That is the situation facing Oleg Skrypochka, Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan, who had been on the International Space Station since July 2019.

"From here, Earth looks just as stunning as usual. It's hard to believe all of the changes that have taken place since we left," Meir said a recent video call.

The trio touched down at 05:16 GMT, with Skrypochka and Meir having spent 205 days in space, and Morgan 272 days.

Watch their amazing homecoming:

Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent, BBC News

The Royal Society is to begin an urgent scientific investigation into ways of ending the coronavirus pandemic.

An expert panel will assess all the available science and lessons learned from other countries to provide advice in the next few days and weeks on how the current lockdown measures might be eased.

This is an unprecedented investigation for an unprecedented crisis.

Normally these kinds of analyses take months, if not years. This one will publish its findings to the public online shortly after the experts come to their conclusions.

In the coming weeks, they will aim to provide an assessment on the use of masks, whether the virus is less dangerous in the summer, and also to attempt to determine the impact of allowing children to go back to school. It will also look into the various options for safely easing social distancing measures.

The publication of its findings in the days and weeks to come means that there will be a public discussion about how lockdown measures might be lifted - even if the government isn’t yet ready to set out its ideas.

The British government has arranged chartered flights to bring back citizens in Pakistan after repeated calls for it amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The British High Commissioner in Pakistan said flights would begin next week, external, with "at least five daily flights from Islamabad and three from Lahore". Pakistan has confirmed nearly 7,000 Covid-19 cases so far.

As we reported last month, the UK government pledged £75m ($93m) to charter special flights to bring home citizens from countries where commercial flights are unavailable.

Here's news from the rest of South Asia:

• In Bangladesh, hundreds of garment workers have been protesting for days, external over unpaid wages as a nationwide lockdown has forced many to suspend their operations. Orders worth $3bn have been cancelled by global brands like H&M and Walmart as confirmed infections in the country surge to more than 1,500
• Sri Lanka's cricket board has offered to host the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, external after the massively popular cricketing tournament was indefinitely suspended due to the pandemic. The island nation has reported more than 200 infections so far
• Droves of people are leaving Nepal's Kathmandu valley amid a lockdown to get back home, local media reports. Many are making journeys that are more than hundreds of kilometres, external on foot, prompting concerns over a potential humanitarian crisis

Image source, Pool via Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron has added his voice to growing sceptism of China's handling of the outbreak of coronavirus.

Asked if China's authoritarian response to bring the outbreak under control had exposed the weakness of Western democracies, Mr Macron said that there was no comparison between open societies and those where truth was suppressed.

“Given these differences, the choices made and what China is today, which I respect, let’s not be so naive as to say it’s been much better at handling this,” he told the Financial Times, external. “We don’t know. There are clearly things that have happened that we don’t know about.”

His comments came as China revised its death toll from the city of Wuhan, where the outbreak started, up by 50% on Friday.

We have more on his interview.

Good morning if you are just joining us in the UK. Here are some of the headlines you may have missed overnight:

• Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says lockdown restrictions will continue for "at least" another three weeks
• It comes as the UK recorded another 861 coronavirus deaths in hospital, taking the total to 13,729
• The Treasury says loans to all medium-to-large firms will now be included in the government's £330bn ($411bn) coronavirus support package for the economy
• Captain Tom Moore, a 99-year-old war veteran who walked 100 laps of his garden, has raised more than £17m for the NHS

• And plans to allow MPs to take part in some parliamentary business virtually have been approved

Correction 22:11 BST: On Friday the BBC reported an NHS trust boss had asked it for help sourcing protective gowns for staff. We should clarify the person concerned is not the boss of an NHS trust, but part of a network of organisations helping to source PPE for some NHS trusts.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants the government to change its guidelines on face masks, saying wearing them while travelling in the city should be compulsory.

"The evidence around the world is that this is effective," Mr Khan said.

UK public health experts are not currently recommending the use of face-coverings though they have already been made compulsory in many places around the world.

But what is the official advice from the World Health Organization (WHO)? After a recent meeting to discuss the issue, it still maintains that medical masks should be reserved only for healthcare workers and not for the general public.

The BBC's health correspondent Laura Foster explains the WHO's position and the scientific argument behind it.

US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, is reportedly set for an early release from prison due to the coronavirus.

Cohen is serving a three-year sentence after pleading guilty to multiple offences, including violating campaign finance laws and lying to Congress.

He is currently in a minimum-security prison at Otisville, New York where cases of Covid-19 have been reported among inmates and staff.

Image source, Reuters

The Bureau of Prisons has faced criticsm for its handling of outbreaks and is under pressure to release some non-violent inmates.

A number of other high-profile figures, including R Kelly and Bill Cosby, have also appealled for release due to the virus.

Last month a federal judge denied an earlier request by Cohen to be freed because of the pandemic, telling him to "accept the consequences of his criminal convictions".

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge say it is important people know where they can access help and support during the UK lockdown.

Prince William said NHS workers often had to absorb the pain and loneliness of coronavirus patients.

The duke also revealed how anxious he was when his father, the Prince of Wales, was diagnosed with the virus.

In a wide-ranging BBC interview about the pandemic, mental health and the NHS, Prince William described how the three-week lockdown had been "frustrating" for many people and "pressure, stress and isolation" had been building up.

"If we are going to go forward with more time spent in lockdown, then there is going to be an ever-increasing need for people to look after their mental health and take it seriously and also know where to go to get the support they might need," he said.

Read more here.

Image source, PA Media

UK residents may be stuck at home during lockdown, but it hasn't stopped some going to great lengths to raise money for the NHS.

Captain Tom Moore's challenge of walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday has captured the hearts of the nation, with more than 800,000 people donating a total of more than £17m for the 99-year-old.

Now 90-year-old Margaret Payne from Scotland aims to climb the equivalent of Highland mountain Suilven - 731m (2,398ft) - with 282 trips upstairs.

Mrs Payne, who believes the challenge will take around two months to complete, began on Sunday and hit her target to raise £10,000 for the NHS and a hospice on Thursday.

"It's amazing," she said. "I wasn't expecting anything like it - 10,000 thank yous."