Image source, MoD/PA

Hospital patients, NHS and care staff, emergency services, care home residents and now all essential workers, external and their families should be able to get tested.

Testing is not yet available for the general public, although it will be an important part of the next phase, once lockdown restrictions are relaxed.

Key workers in England who are self-isolating because they or a family member have coronavirus symptoms can be referred for a test by their employer or apply online themselves., external

Then they can choose whether to attend a regional test site or ask for a home test kit - although availability is limited.

In Scotland, tests are being prioritised for health and social care staff, external. Wales is adopting a needs-based approach , externalto testing for NHS and "critical" non-NHS workers. In Northern Ireland key workers can be tested , externalat one of three drive-through centres.

You can read more about the UK's testing strategy here.

Labour is calling on the UK government to "urgently" tell the British public about the different options for easing the lockdown.

"I’d like to see a real public debate - looking at public health options and the economic impacts," shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

He said public services also needed to be able to prepare for the different scenarios which could happen when restrictions were lifted.

He added that the Westminster government was an "outlier" compared to the more open approaches of the Scottish and Welsh governments.

You can read more about when the lockdown could be lifted here.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa inadvertently provided a lighter moment of unity in the country when he struggled to put on a face mask during a televised address on Thursday.

At the end of a speech about plans to ease lockdown restrictions, Ramaphosa fumbled while trying to put on his ankara fabric mask.

"Cyril Ramaphosa and that mask are going to be a meme from today until Covid-57," tweeted psychologist and writer Suntosh Pillay.

The moment "lifted the national mood" according to business mogul Vusi Thembekwayo, who suggested an online mask challenge.

David Shukman
Science editor, BBC News

Image source, Reuters

The world’s biggest manufacturer of disinfectants has issued a stark rebuttal of President Trump’s suggestion that injecting them could help treat coronavirus.

RB, the makers of Dettol and Lysol, warns against any internal use of the products.

“As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route).”

The statement adds that disinfectant and hygiene products “should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines”.

Image source, EPA

Transport for London (TfL), which runs the Tube and other public transport in the capital, is to furlough 7,000 employees to save about £15.8m ($19.5m) every four weeks.

TfL fare revenue has dropped by 90% as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Mayor of London has warned transport "will not immediately return to normal" when lockdown measures are relaxed.

TfL's future is entirely dependent on a government bailout, says BBC London's Transport correspondent Tom Edwards.

Read more here.

Some promising news from Spain, where the number of new coronavirus-related deaths has dropped to the lowest daily level in over a month.

Some 367 people have died in the past 24 hours to take the total fatalities there to 22,524 - which remains the third-highest in the world.

The number of new coronavirus cases has risen by 6,740 to 219,764.

The UK's Department of Health has apologised after its new coronavirus testing website closed to applications hours after it launched.

In a tweet, the department said there had been "significant demand" for the tests from essential workers, millions of whom are now eligible for coronavirus testing.

The online application system for millions of essential workers in England to book coronavirus test appears to have closed for applications following high demand.

The government website opened on Friday but users are already being greeted with a message saying applications are closed and asking them to check back later.

Up to 10 million key workers and their households are now meant to be able to book a coronavirus test online or through their employer.

We've asked the Department of Health to explain what the problem is.

Meanwhile, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said essential workers in Scotland will also be able to apply for a test online "very soon".

The Welsh government has previously outlined plans to expand testing to key workers and Northern Ireland's health minister has announced the nation's testing programme is being expanded to include frontline workers in the private sector.

Image source, Getty Images

A small number of "irresponsible and selfish people" are "repeatedly and wilfully" flouting coronavirus lockdown rules, according to Police Scotland.

Officers have made 78 arrests and issued 1,637 fixed penalty notices in Scotland since 27 March.

Most of the enforcement action has been taken in response to house parties and other public gatherings.

People are being told to stay at home during the lockdown period, only leaving the house if they have a "reasonable excuse".

Read more here.

Elderly people are some of the most vulnerable to the risks associated with coronavirus but in times of such uncertainty they often have the best advice and words of encouragement.

People aged 90 and above from around the world told us how they were getting by, whether watching Netflix or playing hide-and-seek.

You may have noticed the streets are quieter in the UK during any trips out of the house, and that is quite literally true.

Seismometers used to record earthquakes and volcanic activity also track seismic noise caused by humans - such as traffic and industrial work.

That ambient noise has dropped between 20% and 50% in the past five weeks.

David Cornwell, a geophysicist at the University of Aberdeen, says some of his seismometers can now pick up natural noises like the wind and the sea - and adds he would be able to record a minor earthquake in Japan because of the reduced noise.

Rachel Schraer
BBC Reality Check

US President Donald Trump has been criticised by doctors for suggesting that injecting disinfectants and or using UV light “inside” the body should be researched as treatments for coronavirus.

These claims are highly misleading and are not supported by medical advice.

Using a disinfectant can kill viruses on surfaces. It’s a very good idea to keep things you touch clean, using products with anti-microbial properties - for example those with a high alcohol content.

There is also some evidence that, in general, viruses on surfaces die more quickly when directly exposed to sunlight. But we don’t know how much or how long they have to be exposed for UV light to have an effect, so you’re far safer just washing your hands and surfaces and trying not to touch your face.

Crucially, this is only about infected objects and surfaces – not about what happens once the virus is inside your body.

One of the main ways of catching the virus is by breathing in droplets expelled by an infected person, mainly by sneezing and coughing. The virus very quickly begins to multiply and spread, eventually reaching the lungs.

Not only does consuming or injecting disinfectant risk poisoning and death, it won't even reach the virus.

Equally, by the time the virus has taken hold inside your body, no amount of UV light on your skin is going to make a difference.

And since UV radiation damages the skin, using it to kill the virus could be a case of - to borrow a well-worn phrase - the cure being worse than the disease.

Image source, Getty Images

The UK's main opposition partry is set to probe the impact of coronavirus on black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities.

According to the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre, 34% of more than 4,800 critically ill patients with Covid-19 identified as BAME.

This is despite only 14% of people in England and Wales being from ethnic minority backgrounds, according to the 2011 census.

The review will be led by Baroness Doreen Lawrence, the campaigner and mother of Stephen Lawrence, the teenager murdered in a racist attack in 1993.

The government has also commissioned an investigation into the issue.

Read more about the review here. , external

There's been a lot of debate on whether healthy people should wear masks, and many places around the world have now either made it compulsory or issued advisories. The UK is yet to but experts have been reviewing the issue.

But what is the official advice from the World Health Organization? 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.

Image source, Getty Images

It can't be easy being called Corona in these times and for an eight-year-old Australian boy, all the teasing he'd been getting at school was bringing him down.

So Corona De Vries wrote to one of his favourite actors, Tom Hanks, who along with his wife Rita Wilson contracted and recovered from the virus on the Gold Coast last month.

"I heard on the news you and your wife had caught the coronavirus," Corona wrote in his letter to "Mr and Mrs Hanks", adding: "Are you ok?"

Hanks then sent a letter back thanking Corona for his well wishes and marvelling over his unique name: "You are the only person I've ever known to have the name Corona - like the ring around the sun, a crown."

The Toy Story actor also gave a Corona-brand typewriter to the boy telling him: "Use it to write me back."

Read more about this lovely new friendship here.

Image source, Getty Images

Cricket has always been one of the staples of the English summer but it will not start until at least 1 July, organisers have announced.

The County Championship - which usually starts in early to mid April - will have nine rounds of fixtures chopped off it.

The England men’s and women’s national teams will play all their matches between July and September, subject to government guidance.

England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive officer Tom Harrison says “we remain hopeful we can deliver some cricket this summer” but “there will be no cricket until it’s safe to play”.

Image source, PA Media

The UK government wants to do 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of April. With a week to go it's managing around 20,000 but says it has the capacity to do just over 50,000 tests.

However, a number of organisations representing key workers have said there have been issues with the accessibility of testing centres – with some facing long journeys to be tested.

Earlier, Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted testing had been “slow” at the beginning of the month because the country was still building the IT systems needed.

He told the BBC the government was ahead of its plan to hit the target “but nothing is guaranteed in life”.

You can read more about the government’s testing plan here.

The coronavirus pandemic means Muslims living in the UK will be observing Ramadan differently this year.

Normally many practising Muslims would fast from dawn to dusk for a month before getting together with families and friends in the evening for the Iftar meal. Many would also go to the mosque to pray.

However, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) says this year will be a “very different experience” and is urging people to fast and pray at home and share Ramadan digitally.

With the lockdown in place there will be no congregational acts of worship outside the home and the MCB suggests livestreaming sermons and virtual Iftars as alternatives, external.

Read more about how Muslims in the UK are observing Ramadan here.

And here's a piece from our health team about how to fast safely during the pandemic.

Image source, Getty Images

Pop superstar Beyonce is to donate $6m (£4.9m) to help support coronavirus relief efforts.

Beyonce's foundation BeyGood announced the donation in a statement, external, saying the money would be donated to small community organisations as well as mental health services across US cities.

Queen Bey - as she is often referred to by her fans - also called out the disproportionate impact the virus has on black Americans.

"Black Americans disproportionately belong to essential parts of the workforce that do not have the luxury of working from home, and African-American communities at large have been severely affected in this crisis," she said in an Instagram video.

"This virus is killing black people at an alarmingly high rate here in America. Please protect yourself, we are one family and we need you."

Shaimaa Khalil
BBC News, Sydney

Image source, Getty Images

Nearly four weeks ago, the government in Australia introduced tough social distancing measures - no more than two people anywhere and the closure of all non-essential services.

We were all getting used to a very different way of living. No loitering outside. I spent 23 hours a day at home and one walking around my neighbourhood. The beaches were off limits. At the time, the country was recording hundreds of cases a day.

It’s a very different picture now. Today, there are 13 new cases in the whole of Australia. Contact tracing and testing have been ramped up. In total, there have been 79 deaths.

Unlike Europe and the US, Australia has managed to get a handle on the spread of the virus through tight border controls and robust social distancing rules.

Despite the devastating effect on the economy, the government persisted with the restrictions and introduced stimulus packages for people and businesses. It has turned a corner but the leadership has warned against complacency.

For Australia to consolidate the gains it’s made in controlling Covid-19 and to avoid the risk of a resurgence in cases, the world’s most outdoorsy country will have to endure more of the indoors for some time.