LiveLIVENew York governor says measures seem to be working

Summary

1. New York reports more than 25,000 cases but the governor says social distancing appears to be working
2. About 400,000 people volunteer in the UK to help the NHS cope with vulnerable people
3. Prince Charles – heir to the British throne – tests positive for virus with “mild symptoms”, palace says
4. India’s 1.3 billion people went into lockdown at midnight, with a “total ban” on leaving homes
5. Russia’s Putin postpones vote on constitutional change allowing him to stay in power, due to virus
6. The death toll in Spain has overtaken China, rising by 738 to 3,434
7. US lawmakers agree a near-$2 trillion stimulus package, details yet to be released
8. A quarter of the world’s population is now living under some form of lockdown
9. Global cases exceed 400,000 with deaths approaching 20,000 and more than 100,000 recovered

Live Reporting

By George Bowden, Yaroslav Lukov, Gareth Evans, Emlyn Begley, Alex Bysouth, Mal Siret, Claire Heald, Jennifer Scott, Paul Seddon and Claudia Allen

All times stated are UK

1. Posted at 18:1018:10NHS worker makes emotional ‘stay at home’ pleaAn NHS worker’s emotional plea for people to stay at home has been shared thousands of times.In an emotional video, Chanice Cushion says she will leave her family home to protect her mother-in-law who has an underlying condition.”I really thought I could put across to people you really need to stay indoors – this is serious,” she tells the BBC.
2. Posted at 18:0418:04UK PM defers to the experts on outbreak measuresHelen CattPolitical correspondentThere have been legitimate questions put to the government around whether measures should have been put in place sooner to stop the spread of this virus.The government has consistently said it is doing the right thing at the right time based on scientific evidence, and what we saw in this press conference was the prime minister deferring to the experts.Obviously, the UK strategy has been different from what we have seen in other countries, so that has raised questions about how the government is choosing to deal with it.But coronavirus is an unknown – a new virus where people don’t really know what happens with it, and it can only ever be a best guess.However, it is up to the government to explain why their best guess relates to certain actions they are taking – and certain actions they are not.
3. Posted at 17:5917:59Palestinians report first death – latest from the Middle EastThe first Palestinian has died as a result of Covid-19. The woman, who was in her 60s, was a resident of Bidu, near Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority said.Sixty-two confirmed cases have been reported in the occupied West Bank and two in the Gaza Strip.In other developments in the region:
   • In Israel, where five people have died and another 2,030 have been infected, the government has approved new restrictions to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. People will be required to stay within 100m (330ft) of their homes; prayer will only be allowed in open spaces; and public transport will be reduced to a quarter of its usual capacity
   • The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem – where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected – was closed on Wednesday as a precaution against the coronavirus
   • Testing has started in opposition-held north-western Syria after the World Health Organization delivered 300 kits. The government has meanwhile imposed a 12-hour overnight curfew in areas under its control and closed all borders, a day after it confirmed the first Covid-19 case in the war-torn country
   • Saudi Arabia has reported its second death and tightened a 21-day nationwide curfew that started on Monday. People will now be stopped from entering or leaving the capital Riyadh and the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina
   • In Egypt, a two-week partial curfew keeping people off the streets between 19:00 and 06:00 has taken effect. There was also an extension of school closures until mid-April. The country has reported 402 cases of Covid-19 and 20 deaths
4. Posted at 17:5517:55Latest developments in EuropeIt’s been another dramatic day in Europe, with infection rates and death tolls rising rapidly in many countries. Here’s what you need to know:
   • Spain’s death toll surpassed China’s, becoming the second highest in the world after Italy. The country saw its steepest daily spike in deaths – up by 738 in just 24 hours to a total of 3,434. Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo is among those who have tested positive for the virus. She was admitted to hospital on Sunday
   • Italy reported another 683 deaths in the past 24 hours and 5,210 more cases. That is slightly lower than Tuesday’s tally of 743 deaths, but takes the total to 7,503. The figures are normally given at a daily press conference by Italy’s head of civil protection, Angelo Borrelli, but he has a mild fever
   • Russia‘s President Vladimir Putin postponed the public vote on constitutional changes that would allow him to stay in office, but gave no details about when it would take place. He also announced new measures to combat the virus, telling all except key workers to stay at home for a week. Meanwhile, Moscow officials said two elderly coronavirus patients had died. They did not, however, cite the virus as the cause of death. Russia has not yet confirmed any deaths from Covid-19. Latest figures show a rapid rise in infections in the country
   • Germany‘s parliament approved a huge rescue package to protect the country’s economy. The measures – worth 750 billion euros (£688bn; $813bn) – include support for workers, direct cash grants for small firms and self-employed people, and financial support for families. The programme is being funded by taking on new debt, which is something Germany hasn’t done in years
   • Poland has extended the closure of its borders by 20 days until 13 April. Goods will still be able to move freely across the borders, the country’s government says
5. Posted at 17:5017:50What’s the latest from Africa?Let’s take a look at what’s happening in other parts of the world now.Charges of attempted murder in South Africa and a man killed by a crocodile while defying Rwanda’s lockdown are some of the developments in Africa.The continent may only have around 2,000 recorded cases, but countries with weak health systems are preparing for the worst:
   • A 52-year-old hair salon owner in South Africa has been charged with attempted murder for defying a doctor’s order to self-quarantine in the town of Ladysmith, police say. He had tested positive and had put the lives of others at risk, police said, adding that he had been detained in hospital
   • Meanwhile, South Africans have been panic buying ahead of a three-week lockdown that comes into force for its 50 million citizens on Friday
   • In Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria, all markets and shops have been closed, except for those selling food and medicine. Meanwhile, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has hit out at preachers in the country, Africa’s most-populous, for flouting rules about social distancing and large gatherings
   • In Rwanda, a man who went to a river, apparently to fish in defiance of a lockdown, has been eaten by a crocodile, a local official has told the BBC
   • Libya and Mali, both conflict-hit countries, have recorded their first cases of the virus
   • Jean-Joseph Mukendi wa Mulumba, a top human rights lawyers in the Democratic Republic of Congo and an aide to the president, has died of Covid-19
   • In Zimbabwe, doctors and nurses are refusing to work until they can access protective clothing while on duty because of fears over coronavirus infection
   • Ethiopia is to release more than 4,000 prisoners to contain the spread of the virus in jails
6. Posted at 17:4517:45What happened at the latest UK press conference?Boris Johnson’s latest press briefing on the UK’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has come to an end. Here’s what happened:
   • The PM revealed that 405,000 people had volunteered to help the NHS following a call from the government
   • He warned firms against profiteering during times of shortage and said the government might use the law to stop it
   • The UK government’s chief medical adviser said there was a “bottleneck” in ramping up testing amid global demand
   • He said an antibody test – to see if people had had the virus – was being developed but would not be online next week
   • He added the UK’s modelling on the spread of the virus was based on “quite a lot of people” still having to go in to work