Reality Check

The news that the UK government is providing a £76m package to support "the most vulnerable" in society comes at a time when domestic abuse helplines are receiving a surge in calls.

The National Domestic Abuse helpline saw a 25% increase in calls in the first two weeks of lockdown, rising to 49% after three weeks, the charity Refuge says.

It is now receiving hundreds of extra calls for help every week.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said that social distancing, while necessary, meant it was ‘’harder than before for victims of domestic abuse to reach out to friends, colleagues and neighbours for the support they urgently need’’.

The additional support for charities will ensure more safe spaces and accommodation for survivors of domestic abuse and their children, as well as fund the recruitment of additional specialists for victims of domestic violence.

Sally Field, chair of Women's Aid, said emergency funding is always welcome but she would wait for more detail of how the money could be accessed.

While calls to the national helpline increased, she warns the rest of the sector were receiving fewer calls because victims can no longer find a safe space to get in touch. After lockdown the charity expects an ‘’exponential increase" in calls for help.

The government was asked at the daily press briefing if the UK would try to claim "billions in reparations" if it was shown that a lack of transparency from China hampered efforts to prevent the pandemic.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said while "there will come a time" to analyse the origins of the virus and consider what actions to take, the time was "not now".

It follows international calls for an investigation into how the virus - first documented in the Chinese city of Wuhan - emerged.

At a White House press briefing last week, US President Donald Trump appeared to undercut his own intelligence agencies by suggesting he had seen evidence coronavirus originated in a Chinese laboratory.

In the same week, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would push for an investigation next month at the annual World Health Assembly, which is the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO).

That body already plans to discuss calls for a "lessons learned" review of health emergencies.

Our science editor has looked in detail at the Wuhan lab theory and the lack of any evidence for it - have a read.

The briefing was led by Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick alongside Dr Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England.

• The total number of fatalities from coronavirus in the UK, across all settings, now stands at 28,131. The death rate is starting to come down "very gradually and very slowly"
• 105,937 tests were carried out on Friday, surpassing the government's self-imposed target of 100,000 tests a day.
• The government pledged a support package of over £76m to support victims of domestic abuse, vulnerable children and victims of modern slavery through the coronavirus crisis
• Dame Louise Casey will oversee a national effort to ensure rough sleepers have safe accommodation in which they receive support whilst self-isolating
• Any return of UK pupils to school will be done carefully and "may well be in a phased manner", but only when the time is right
• The fact that the rate of transmission is "significantly less" outdoors than indoors is likely to be taken into consideration when lockdown measures are lifted
• It is still not clear whether a person can catch coronavirus twice, but increased testing will help scientists in their conclusions

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said to avoid the "disaster" of a second peak that we must keep the R rate below one.

But what is the R number and why does it matter? BBC health correspondent Laura Foster explains.

Italy has experienced its largest daily death toll since 21 April with 474 fatalities reported, up on 269 the day before.

The total death toll now stands at 28,710, the Civil Protection Agency reported - second only to the United States.

But the increased figure is distorted and might actually mask positive news, La Repubblica newspaper reports, as 282 deaths not reported in April were only just registered and added to the toll.

That would put the most recent daily figure at 192 deaths - the first time it has dropped below 200 since 14 March, it says.

The news comes just two days before Italy plans to ease the restrictions it imposed seven weeks ago to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

From 4 May people will be allowed to visit their relatives in small numbers. Parks, factories and building sites will also reopen.

Reality Check

A website called the White House Gift Shop has caused anger by selling coins "commemorating" the Covid-19 outbreak for $100 (£80) each.

US Senator Bernie Sanders was one of those infuriated by the coins. But the White House Gift Shop is a privately run online store with no direct connection to the White House or the Trump administration.

Its own website says it "operates independently of the US government".

The coins, however, do exist and are being sold online. They show a coronavirus germ superimposed over a world map, with slogans such as: "Together we fought the unseen enemy" and "Everyday heroes suited up". The website says profits will be donated to hospitals.

You can read more virus fact-checking from BBC journalists here.

Any return of UK pupils to school will be done carefully and "may well be in a phased manner" but only when the time is right, Robert Jenrick said at the briefing that finished a few minutes ago.

He said he was aware that home-schooling could be difficult and said there was anecdotal evidence that there was a huge range in terms of the quality of education that children are currently receiving at home.

"I am very focused upon those children who we know are vulnerable... and are at home and less visible," he said.

On the re-opening of schools, Dr Harries, England's deputy chief medical officer, said that children who get infected with the virus "tend to have less clinical disease" and that the disease is less likely to become severe.

She added there was some evidence to suggest younger children are less susceptible to the disease but further research was required.

Image source, Getty Images

A question from ITV at the daily briefing raised the spectre of aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce considering thousands of job cuts, with the British workforce potentially bearing the brunt. It follows the announcement of major job cuts by British Airways and Ryanair.

BA is looking at cutting 12,000 people from its 42,000-strong workforce, citing a collapse in business. The company thinks it will take several years for air travel to return to pre-virus levels.

Ryanair is looking at 3,000 job cuts - that's 15% of its workforce. Boss Michael O'Leary has also said it would take six months to refund passengers for flights cancelled.

Robert Jenrick, the minister fronting today's briefing, said the government wanted to support the UK's aviation industry, which he said was "an extremely important one strategically" as well as an industry which employs "a great deal of people".

"If there's more we can do, we will do so."

It's the question that everyone wants a clear answer to and has come up in today's UK government briefing.

Members of the public are allowed to submit questions to the briefing now and Ashley in Yorkshire asked whether people can catch the virus causing Covid-19 twice.

Dr Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England replied: "The WHO (World Health Organization) position is very similar to the one we would have, which basically says we actually don't have enough information yet to be very clear on the immune status.

"We know that some people will have different status. We would normally expect to see some sign of immunity about 10-12 days after an infection, and then a very consistent pattern [at] about 28 days.

She added: "There's sometimes a delay in different individuals and we need to study this really carefully as we go forward. Our testing policy and the development of new antibody tests will help us do that."

Image source, Getty Images

The United States has by far the most deaths globally connected to the coronavirus, though proportionally it has had fewer deaths relative to population size than several countries in Europe.

The death toll has now passed 65,000, with more than 1.1 million cases confirmed.

Here are some other developments from the US:

• The White House has blocked top health official Anthony Fauci from testifying to Congress on the government's coronavirus response. It said it would be “counterproductive” to have individuals involved in the response testify
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised emergency use of the Ebola drug remdesivir for treating Covid-19
• More states, including Idaho and Alabama, are loosening lockdown measures. Texas has lifted stay-at-home orders for its 29 million residents

More from the UK briefing now.

The BBC's Chris Mason asks what long-term plans are in place for people who were asked at the end of March to stricly quarantine themselves for a minimum of 12 weeks by staying home at all times and not seeing visitors.

Some 1.8 million people deemed most at risk of needing hospital treatment if they catch coronavirus have been doing this.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick says: "We appreciate the huge emotional impact it has on people.

"We have tried to support people with practical steps for those with no access to family or friends."

He says there has been access to food boxes - which will continue to be delivered.

Local councils are being asked to share data on who people shielding are so more tailored support can be offered where appropriate.

Councils are being encouraged to start a check and chat service to ensure supplies are getting through as well as the offer of emotional support.

Read more: Who should be shielding?

Image source, Getty Images

As we continue to monitor the UK government briefing, here's some other news.

The Financial Times is reporting, external that thousands of UK office staff working from home are unlikely to return to their place of work anytime soon.

As the government prepares to set out plans for easing the lockdown in the next few days, the newspaper says that many offices will likely remain closed for "several months", in part to avoid overwhelming public transport.

We'll let you know if this is asked about at the briefing.

Responding to a question from a member of the public, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the government is trying to support people across all areas of society.

He stressed that food parcels are being delivered every day to the vulnerable, alongside medical supplies - and there were many options for volunteering.

He highlighted the support laid out by the Job Retention Scheme and increased support via the welfare system, as well as support for rough sleepers and the homeless.

"We want to ensure that we emerge from this crisis as strong as we can."

Dame Louise Casey, who is already leading a review into rough sleeping, will now oversee a national effort to ensure rough sleepers have safe accommodation in which to receive support whilst self-isolating.

Image source, PA Wire

Speaking at the briefing, Dr Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, acknowledges that the UK has passed the peak but that we "have a lot of work still to do".

She says people must still keep in mind the five tests to be reached before adjusting the lockdown measures.

• Transport use remains low, despite a small rise in motor use. Social interaction remains low in conjunction with these measures
• Testing has grown exponentially and the growth will continue. Testing outside of NHS settings is on the increase
• Number of people in hospital with Covid-19 has decreased by just over 13%. Pressure on the NHS "is now moving down", allowing other NHS services to ramp back up again
• Critical care bed use across the UK is coming down
• The total number of fatalities from coronavirus in the UK, across all settings, now stands at 28,131. The rolling average shows the death rate is starting to come down "very gradually and very slowly"

The communities secretary says a £76m package will be released to support "the most vulnerable" in society.

He said the fund would go to charities which address domestic abuse, vulnerable children and victims of modern-day slavery

The additional support will ensure safe spaces and accommodation for survivors of domestic abuse and their children, as well as fund the recruitment of additional specialists for victims of domestic violence.

Robert Jenrick announces the latest data on testing at today's press conference.

He says 1,129,907 tests for coronavirus have been carried out in the UK.

There were 105,937 tests carried out on Friday.

Data shows 182,260 people have tested positive - of those testing positive across all settings, 28,131 have now died, which is an increase of 621 fatalities since yesterday.

For more context about the government's testing programme and 100,000 tests a day target, read this.

Image source, Handout via PA

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has arrived for the start of the daily UK government press briefing.

Stay with us and we’ll bring you all the updates as we have them.

You can also watch the briefing live by clicking on the video stream at the top of this page.

Good afternoon and a warm welcome if you're just joining us for the UK government's press briefing.

Here's a round-up of some key developments in the UK so far today:

• Passengers travelling on Eurostar trains out of the UK must wear a face mask or a face covering from Monday
• Thousands of people have signed up for a trial to see if blood plasma from coronavirus survivors can treat hospital patients with Covid-19

• Commuters could be asked to check their temperature before leaving home in an effort to make public transport safer
• Fitness coach Joe Wicks, who livestreamed PE lessons for children during lockdown, is in hospital after injuring his hand

This afternoon’s UK government press briefing is due to start in about 15 minutes.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick will be leading the news conference, accompanied by England's deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries.