The government has been criticised over a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and coronavirus testing kits for care workers as the UK prepared to enter its fourth week on lockdown.
Boris Johnson is recovering from Covid-19 at his country residence, Chequers, after spending a week in hospital, including three nights in intensive care.
Meanwhile, the chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed more than £14bn from the coronavirus emergency response fund will go to the NHS and local authorities.
It comes after the number of those who have died in UK hospitals after contracting the disease passed the 10,000 mark, in what the health secretary, Matt Hancock, called a “sombre” moment for the country.
Follow the latest updates
Spain to start easing lockdown despite recording nearly 4,000 new infections in 24hrs
Spaniards took the first tentative steps back to work as lockdown restrictions were partially relaxed, despite experts counselling against easing restrictions, Graham Keeley reports from Madrid.
Spain has suffered more deaths than any country except the United States and Italy and has been on a strict state of emergency since 14 March.
The death toll in Spain resumed its downward trend on Monday after another 517 people died with the overall number of fatalities nearly 17,500, government figures showed. The data showed that confirmed cases rose by 3,477 – the lowest daily figure since March 20 – to 169,496.
Spain eases lockdown restrictions despite recording nearly 4,000 new infections in 24hrs
Construction and manufacturing workers are returning to work after two weeks of economic ‘hibernation’Could this oil deal help underpin global economic recovery?
It breaks all the records for oil deals. The agreement by the oil cartel OPEC and Russia, sealed on Sunday night, to slash oil production by 9.7 million barrels a day means almost a tenth of global supply will be taken out of the market, Ben Chu writes in this analysis.
It’s twice the size of the cuts made by producers during the global financial crisis twelve years ago.
Yet the response of the oil markets has been less than record breaking.
Despite an initial spike on Sunday night the price of a barrel of crude oil on Monday morning was no higher than it was ten days ago at $31.
Could this oil deal help underpin global economic recovery?
These are early days of course but managed global energy markets could be a significant legacy of this crisisFacial protection will become norm, says senior WHO doctor
A senior World Health Organisation (WHO) figure has said facial protection is going to become the norm in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Dr David Nabarro, the WHO's Covid-19 envoy, said people would need to become accustomed to a "new reality".
He told the BBC: "Some form of facial protection, I'm sure, is going to become the norm, not least to give people reassurance. But, I would say, don't imagine that you can do what you like when you are wearing a mask."
Dr Nabarro added that people's lifestyles would need to change.
He said: "Because this virus isn't going to go away, and we don't know whether people who have had the virus stay immune afterwards and will not get it again.
"And, we don't know when we will have a vaccine. So, what we are saying is get societies defended.
"Yes, we will have to wear masks. Yes, there will have to be more physical distancing. Yes, we must protect the vulnerable.
"But, most importantly, we must all learn how to interrupt transmission. It's a revolution. Like happened when it was discovered that dirty water bore cholera in 1850. Or, like perhaps 25 years ago we all learned about HIV/Aids and its relationship with sex.
"We changed, and we adapted and we learned how to live with these new realities.
"We have also got to live with the new reality of life with Covid."
How to manage your mental health during the lockdown
As coronavirus continues to spread in the UK, the government has implemented a lockdown on the country meaning all non-essential travel to be avoided.
A long period of isolation may well be a necessary measure for public health but it has been acknowledged that it could also have a detrimental impact on people’s mental health, Sohpie Gallagher writes.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) released a mental health guide for people who are self-isolating saying: “This time of crisis is generating stress in the population.”
So what should you do if your mental health is suffering during self-isolation; are there ways to ensure you safeguard your emotional and mental wellbeing during a potentially extended period of being alone?
How to manage your mental health if you self-isolate during coronavirus
As the government announces further social distancing measures, how should people maintain good mental health in long periods of self-isolation?200 military personnel deployed to support ambulance services
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab chaired a meeting focused on the coronavirus outbreak this morning, Downing Street said.
The Ministry of Defence has also deployed 200 military personnel across the country in support of ambulance services.
Downing Street said they would carry out a variety of roles including driving vehicles, taking calls, manning response centres and supporting paramedic crews.
Nearly 150 fire service staff in Northern Ireland in isolation
Almost 150 fire service staff in Northern Ireland are in isolation, their union has said. Around 8 per cent of the workforce is affected.
Coronavirus testing has been made available to 50 who are displaying symptoms, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said, although that number is expected to rise over coming days.
FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: "If we aren't able to find out exactly who is infected, and more staff isolate unnecessarily, services will be put on a dangerous knife-edge.
"Of course testing of NHS staff has to be a priority, but firefighters and other emergency service personnel are also at serious risk.
"The very safety of the public relies on them being able to attend work.
"There needs to be a clear and deliverable testing strategy for all workers required to continue at work."
Trump promotes demand for Dr Fauci's firing during furious late-night Twitter tirade over coronavirus criticism
Donald Trump has promoted a tweet calling for the firing of Dr Anthony Fauci, after the White House’s top infectious diseases expert suggested the US president cost lives by delaying social distancing measures, Tom Embury-Dennis reports.
After a series of complaints about the “Lamestream Media”, Mr Trump shared a tweet by DeAnna Lorraine, a Republican former California congressional candidate, which read: “Fauci is now saying that had Trump listened to the medical experts earlier he could've saved more lives.
“Fauci was telling people on February 29th that there was nothing to worry about and it posed no threat to the US public at large.
“Time to #FireFauci.”
Trump promotes demand for Dr Fauci's firing during furious late-night Twitter tirade
US president lashes out at media amid growing scrutiny at his handling of crisisKosovo reports significant increase in cases
Kosovo authorities have reported a significant increase of Covid-19 cases and have taken other restrictive measures to contain the virus.
Health authorities said there were 79 new virus cases, an almost one-third increase compared to a day earlier, reaching a total of 362. The virus also killed seven people.
Most of the new cases, 35, were in the southern commune of Ferizaj, 40km south of the capital Pristina which also houses the US military base of Camp Bondsteel nearby.
The Health Ministry also put Pristina under quarantine limiting the movement of the people.
Kosovo is in a lockdown with all its land and air crossing blocked, schools, cafes, restaurants and gyms shut while shops supplying food, medicine and other basic items can open during the day.
Government must reform immigration rules for overseas NHS staff, says doctors’ union
The government must reform immigration rules for foreign-born medical staff working in the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a top professional body for doctors in the UK, Adam Forrest reports.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has called on the home secretary, Priti Patel, to grant indefinite leave to remain to all international doctors, which would remove restrictions on their ability to stay in Britain.
Government must change immigration rules for overseas NHS staff during coronavirus crisis, says doctors' union
British Medical Association demands better treatment of foreign-born health service workers, as Matt Hancock shares ‘admiration’ for staff from abroadMyanmar has failed to safeguard freedom of expression and rights, Amnesty says
Amnesty International has criticised Myanmar's government for failing to safeguard freedom of expression and the rights of human rights defenders and activists.
The London-based rights organization expressed disappointment that after four years in power, the government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has done little to change the country's legal framework.
Myanmar is scheduled to hold a general election late this year.
"Myanmar remains a country where the slightest criticism of the authorities can land you in jail," the group's senior director for research, advocacy and policy, Clare Algar, said in a statement.
"Environmental activists, poets and students are among those who have been arrested and prosecuted simply for expressing their opinions."
Hospitals facing ‘shortage of body bags’ due to pandemic
Stocks of body bags across the UK are running out due to the coronavirus pandemic, forcing health workers to wrap victims of Covid-19 in sheets, according to reports.
The GMB Union has warned that porters have become “inundated with bodies, which are now wrapped in sheets and are being backed up awaiting collection as the mortuary ‘is overflowing’.”
Hospitals facing ‘shortage of body bags’ due to coronavirus pandemic
Porters ‘inundated’ with bodies and mortuaries ‘overflowing’, says GMB UnionChildren with serious injuries not being brought to hospital over Covid-19 fears
Parents of children with serious illnesses are failing to bring them to hospital out of fear their youngsters will catch Covid-19, according to a leading doctor.
Dr Sanjay Patel, a consultant in paediatric infectious diseases at Southampton Children's Hospital, said fewer severely ill children were being brought to its emergency department with conditions such as appendicitis, dehydration and sepsis.
He said that some parents were assuming that all illnesses were being caused by coronavirus or were not seeking healthcare due to fears over catching the virus.
He has now helped develop national guidance on children's health to enable parents to assess when they should be seeking help.
It consists of a red, amber and green traffic light system advising parents of which symptoms require them to seek urgent medical advice and the options available to them.
Dr Patel said: "These are extremely challenging and worrying times for families and I can't stress how important it is to follow the Government advice about social distancing in order to slow down the speed of Covid-19.
"However, I'm really worried there is a very real risk that some children with illnesses such as appendicitis, dehydration or even sepsis are not being brought to see healthcare professionals as quickly as they would be normally.
"We are seeing fewer children than we would expect to see at this time of year, particularly through our emergency department, and those we are seeing who do not have Covid-19 are more severely unwell.
"We've seen evidence of this in Hampshire as well as across the country."
Three in 10 say they will not sail on a cruise again after coronavirus outbreak
As the last few cruise ships still at sea make for ports that will allow them to dock, the future of the cruising industry looks gloomy, Simon Calder reports.
More than 5,000 people responded to an online survey conducted for The Independent – with almost two-thirds of respondents saying they would not currently consider cruising.
Of those who have previously sailed on a cruise, three in 10 said they would not do so again.
Three in 10 people say they would not board a cruise again amid coronavirus outbreak, survey says
Exclusive: ‘In the past they were famous for food poisoning outbreaks. Now pandemic outbreaks. I have no desire to pay good money to “holiday” in a Petri dish,’ said Chris DoreSpain sees smallest proportional daily increase
Spain's overnight death toll from the coronavirus fell to 517 today from yesterday's 619, bringing the total death toll to 17,489, the Health Ministry said, adding that it was the smallest proportional daily increase since tracking began.
The ministry said in a statement that overall cases rose to 169,496 from 166,019.
How to curb your anxiety about Covid-19 virus according to psychologists
As the number of confirmed cases in the UK rises, Sophie Gallagher speaks to experts about how to avoid unnecessary panic and anxiety.
How to feel less anxious about the coronavirus, according to psychologists
As the number of confirmed cases in the UK rises, Sophie Gallagher speaks to experts about how to avoid unnecessary panic and anxietyIran's death toll rises to over 4,500
Iran's death toll from the new coronavirus has risen to 4,585, with 111 deaths overnight, a health ministry official tweeted, adding the total number of infected cases had reached 73,303 in the most-affected Middle Eastern country.
"Fortunately 45,983 of those infected with the virus have recovered ... There were 1,617 new infected cases in the past 24 hours," tweeted Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to Iran's health minister.
Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur told state TV that 3,877 of those infected with the new coronavirus were in critical condition.
Who are the NHS nurses praised by Boris Johnson for ‘standing by my bedside for 48 hours’?
One of two NHS nurses who were personally thanked and praised by Boris Johnson for caring for him while he was in intensive care has been “blown away” by the recognition, her brother said.
Jenny McGee, from New Zealand, works in the intensive care department at St Thomas’ Hospital in central London and was part of the team treating the prime minister after his coronavirus symptoms worsened last week.
Her brother, Rob McGee, told the New Zealand Herald their family was “very proud” of Jenny, and she is “really pleased to see the public recognition for the amazing work the NHS is doing”.
Kate Ng has the full report:
Who are the NHS nurses praised by Boris Johnson for ‘standing by my bedside for 48 hours’?
tJenny McGee, from New Zealand, and Luis Pitarma, from Portugal, receive recognition from home country leadersJapan's prime minister draws ire for 'stay home' tweet
Shinzo Abe's "stay home" message that he tweeted yesterday has drawn angry reactions on social networks from those calling him insensitive to people who cannot rest at home because of the government's social distancing measures that do not come with compensation.
Some tweets said the prime minister had acted as if "an aristocrat", and others said "What does he think he is?".
A one-minute video showed Mr Abe sitting at home, expressionless, cuddling his dog, reading a book, sipping from a cup and clicking on a remote control.
The video, on a split screen, features a popular singer and actor Gen Hoshino strumming on a guitar at home, but later posted on his Instagram that his clip was used without his permission.
Mr Abe declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and six other prefectures last Tuesday, asking people to stay home and reduce human interactions by as much as 80 per cent, but many Japanese companies are slow to switch to remote-working and many people were seen commuting even after the declaration.
As of yesterday, Japan had 7,255 confirmed cases, as well as 712 other cases from a cruise ship quarantined earlier this year.
Rich countries should provide debt relief for poor countries, Pakistan says
Pakistan's prime minister, Imran Khan, has issued a global plea directed at the world's richer countries and international financial institutions to provide debt relief to poor countries which are being devastated by the battle against coronavirus.
Forced lockdowns to stem the rapid transmission of the virus are crippling already poor economies and causing widespread hunger and misery.
Mr Khan last week relaxed the lockdown to allow the reopening of the construction industry, which employs the vast majority of the country's daily wage earners.
South Korea sending 600,000 coronavirus testing kits to US
South Korea plans to send 600,000 coronavirus testing kits to the United States in the first such shipment following a request from Donald Trump, a Seoul official told Reuters.
The US president made the request for testing kits in a telephone call on 25 March with president Moon Jae-in, as the US was grappling with fast-growing outbreaks in many states.
A US Federal Emergency Management Agency cargo plane carrying the equipment is scheduled to leave at 10:30pm (1330 GMT) tomorrow, the official said on condition of anonymity due to the diplomatic sensitivity of the issue.
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