Primary school in heart Future closed today for a deep clean because of two cases of Corona virus.

Many others were seeing falling attendance of staff and pupils.

Now the whole school system is being shut down.

The prime minister is now daily crisis press conference that the course of the virus meant this had to happen now, looking at the curve of the disease, looking at where we are now, we think now that we must apply downward pressure further downward pressure on that upward curve by closing the school so I can announce today.

And Gavin Williamson is making a statement now in that in the House of Commons that after school's shut their gates from Friday afternoon, they will remain closed for most pupils for the vast majority of pupils until further nature's.

The reason for this is because of the effect it could have just to knock down further the transmission, the put some delay into the system, put some breaks into the system off the transmission of this disease to bring it down to protect those people who might get the much more serious version and end up in intensive care on a ventilator.

Some schools will be kept open to look after the Children.

Those providing vital service is during the crisis, like n hs and care workers, police officers, supermarket delivery drivers and others.

We therefore need schools to make provisions for the Children of these key workers who would otherwise be forced to stay home.

And they also need to look after the most vulnerable Children.

He promised digital food tokens for those on free school meals.

Schools could remain closed for months, way beyond the exams that start this May.

But when it comes to kids in their and their exam qualifications, we will make sure that they are not impeded.

Their progress is not impeded as a result of the decisions were having to take now about their schools.

So they will get.

We will make sure that in time they get the qualifications they need.

I don't want to go indeed about when and how those qualifications will be administered, but it will be done fairly, Andi, in order to protect their interests.

Exactly what happens is work in progress is the government has no idea when schools could reopen just another reason.

It's been so tint to press the button across the world.

More than 850 million Children had already been sent home from school is part of the international response to covert 19 in Europe.

Britain was almost the last country not to have taken that measure until this afternoon.

It's important to stress, and this is really critical.

It's not because schools are dangerous places for Children.

They're not.

Children have a very mild or asymptomatic version of this disease in many cases, so they are the least at risk.

It's also not the dangerous place for teachers.

The reason for this is because of the effect it could have just to knock down further the transmission.

The put some delay into the system, put some breaks into the system off the transmission of this disease to bring it down to protect those people who might get the much more serious version and end up in intensive care on a ventilator.

The clampdown could tighten again soon in London, where the disease is spreading much faster.

The capital could come under special controls within days.

Scotland's first minister hinted it how different rules could come in for different parts of the country.

We knew London is ahead of the rest of us, so we may see at more stringent measures than even those that we have a known so far being taken.

But they will not necessarily be taken in all parts of the country.

At the same time, the prime minister was asked if he could deploy legal powers to stop people in London moving around freely.

We do not rule out because it would be quite wrong to do so.

We do not roulade taking further on dhe faster measures in due course.

Prime Minister's questions instead of the usual packed chamber this'll weekend.

These were told to stay away unless they were going to get a question.

Jeremy Corbyn said The government help for people with mortgages announced yesterday should be followed by help for those in the rented sector.

Will the prime minister now confirm that the government's emergency legislation will protect private renters from eviction?

He's making serious, very powerful points on dhe.

I can indeed confirmed that we will do way will be bringing forward devastation to protect private renters from from eviction, that is, that is one thing we do.

But it's also important as we legislate that we do not simply pass on the problem.

The government promised an emergency law banning new evictions from social housing or private sector rentals for the duration of the crisis.

M.

P's asked the chancellor if the measures he was promising toe save jobs might include sending money to companies who currently paid national insurance employer's contributions, reversing the tax in a give away.

Some of the tax levers that you mentioned where the benefit of them is obviously scale on.

You can move at scale.

It's a literal worst on at speed, but it is slightly more difficult to be targeted.

But we are looking at every conceivable tool at our disposal.

Back in the Commons chamber, one Tory MP asked how the N hs would choose who should get treatment.

It only had one a cute bed, but many more in need of it.

Given what's unfolding in northern Italy on the very real prospect off our brilliant N.

H s staff being overwhelmed in a matter off weeks.

What age and co morbidity criteria being drafted that will govern access to intensive care and to ventilators.

Well, Mr Speaker, he raises a very important point, But this is one that is not unknown to the medical profession on.

We will be relying on the clinical decisions off of those medical professionals.

A grim face for a grim dilemma.

The N HS fears could be about to be played out across the country if behavior doesn't change drastically on dhe fast.

Joining me now is Kevin Courtney, who leads the U.

K's biggest union of teachers and education workers, the any U from Westminster.

I'm joined by the shadow Education Minister Angela Rainer on via the Internet from his Lester share constituency, the conservative MP on Drew, Britain.

We did try to speak to a government minister, but no one was free to talkto us.

Kevin Courtney first.

Are you pleased that the government has taken this action that you have long been calling for?

So we're not pleased about the country being in this situation in general, but we have been pressing the government to give us the data, the modeling, because it it seemed odd that our country wasn't closing schools when others have.

So we we think it's the right decision.

We think It's the right decision based on the spread of the disease to try and slow that down.

It is a real strain on parents who are trying to work from home.

Go out toe work.

Still sit in some cases.

Obviously, Onda, we don't know how long it's gonna go on for How long should this law?

Well, that's not a question for a teacher.

Union Leader on education Union leader It's a question for the Met for the medal.

For the medical scientists, that's the only way we're gonna know.

It depends on how the how the disease spreads.

We're hoping that these government measures will slow the spread.

But I have to say that I think it's much better that we now have a planned closure than the chaotic closure that was developing this week.

We had so many teachers who were having toe self isolate because of government regulations on then teachers who were told that if they had asthma or C o, P.

D.

Or Parkinson's disease or HIV, that they had to stay home for 12 weeks, it was just becoming chaotic.

Well, the other chaos was over.

What was gonna happen to the exams now canceled.

But how on earth grade's gonna be awarded fairly to this whole generation of Children?

No.

Well, there is a real problem with that.

It is It is a difficulty.

But again, it is the right decision, because the peak exam season would be the same as everybody's guess about the peak virus season, you know, so that lots of Children would have been in situations where they couldn't go to school where they'd miss revision time because they were ill or isolated or missing the exams themselves, their staff missing the exams.

So it's the right decision by the government that we have been calling for you on that.

Yeah.

How How you gonna ward the great?

So we think talking with we talked with the minister today.

That proposal they're working up is that we use teacher assessment.

No, uh, as off now, how teachers ranked their peoples as off.

Now, wait.

There's more detail to talk through on that, but I think that will have to be on that basis.

Yes.

Now there is part of the exam system that has just no negative implications whatsoever.

The fact that the sats exams have gone from primary schools.

There is no downside of that.

They are completely unnecessary test.

They would obviously do nothing this year to rank schools because it would be completely random.

Which Children are there, So that's got no down.

So did a lot of parents do, like having the SATs to choose which schools to go to?

But I take your point.

Kevin Cornea must leave it there and turn now to our other guests.

Andrew Bridget on Under the rain in there 100 region Should this have happened sooner?

The unions of impressing it pressing for this for several days.

But I think the government the right, This is about timing.

They've done it earlier.

People would have been using them of beating the history around this parking.

What it does.

The government actually determined that on the spur of the vial clear that used to protect the law over well being of the most humbly ask dieting.

And it's really important that all of the public, the vast majority of us who are going to get through this with a very, very mild symptoms, if any at all that we change our aid.

Those to protect those most vulnerable citizens.

Okay.

Angela Raina.

How long should schools be closed?

Because a lot of parents desperately trying to make ends meet will be very worried about this when they well, I think it's a very worrying time for parents and carriers across the UK at the moment, and school should be close for a long as it takes and what the experts say, and it should be decided by what's in the public health interest on Do you know, it's very important.

I welcome the statement that the minister made today.

I've been pushing for them to do that.

I think it's the responsible thing to do.

But there's a crucial thing here.

The most vulnerable Children in our society need to ensure that the poverty that we're seeing across the UK that these Children are not left isolated without the support they need and the family's crucially are not plunged into poverty or into a situation where they cannot afford to feed on to clove and to look after they're young people.

There's some big questions that need to be answered on.

I'm sure the secretary of state will be continuing to work with me to make sure that we support our citizens through this difficult time.

Do you support vulnerable Children still being allowed to go to school?

Yes, I absolutely support that.

I think it's really crucial that we look after the most vulnerable Children on.

I know that it's a very worrying time for a lot of parents, including those parents who now we're gonna be worrying about how they look after their Children.

Through this process on, the government still has to come forward with things like, for example, the voucher scheme offer free school meals.

How's that going to be costed?

Because school meals are less will be for unit price currently in the schools.

Where is if it's individually, are different scheme across different schools, then that's going to be a challenge some of our most vulnerable and disabled Children.

If their school closes, how will they still get the provisions that they're entitled to in the support that those those parents need on the caress parents and carrots, who have you know, some of these concerns around underlying health conditions?

How can we make sure that they're supported on single parents if they come down with the disease?

How do we support them in making sure that they can look after their Children as well.

Andrew, version.

You had suspected Corona virus symptoms.

Have you yet had your test?

Now I haven't.

I'm the end tomorrow of my self isolation period.

But I had a ll the symptoms.

I'm sure I've had it.

Reiterate what the prime minister said earlier how important it is now that we have a test to serve test for the antibody.

So those of us who believe we are immune can know that we are.

We can get on with our lives, get the economy going again and also help those who are in need would absolutely be game changer.

Because I actually think this virus has been around rather longer than we think it has on a lot of people.

I'm speaking to think they had a mild case of it some weeks ago.

If we could actually determine who's now already had the virus, it would be a huge help to everybody.

Andrew Bridge in and Angela Raina on Kevin Courtney in the studio.

Thank you both very much, Jackie.

Now the U.

K's big supermarket chains of introducing restrictions on what customers can buy From tomorrow, shoppers will be allowed a maximum of three of any single item in an effort to stop the shelves from emptying.

But it's huge.

Queues of trucks form on the continent because of Corona virus health checks.

Keeping the supply chain flowing here is more vital than ever, our business and global trade correspondent Paul McNamara reports, queuing out the door and along the streets.

Outside some stores, the shelves that are already bear stripped by panicked buyers, pharmacists and supermarkets say there is no need.

There is enough supply, but many shoppers aren't listening.

And as of tomorrow, Sainsbury's ASDA and Tesco will stop customers by more than three off any single item.

This is rationing not by government but rationing by companies whose business it is in normal times to sell as much as they can.

And it's rationing that many shoppers welcome.

I think it's very fair because, you know, sometimes you see trolley loads of stuff, it's ridiculous.