COVID BRIEF
What happened in today’s coronavirus press briefing and who spoke?
CORONAVIRUS continues to sweep across the UK, with the number of deaths now exceeding 5,000.
Among the 51,608 cases in the United Kingdom is Prime Minister Boris Johnson - who was admitted to hospital on Sunday after failing to recover from COVID-19.
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That means the PM will not be able to take the daily press briefing at 10 Downing Street.
What time was the coronavirus press briefing?
The Government updated the British public on the latest coronavirus news today and have been doing so since March 16.
Today's briefing took place around 5pm - with most briefings coming between 4pm and 6pm.
As usual, the conference was held at 10 Downing Street.
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How can I watch the press briefing?
The press briefings are shown live on the BBC's news channel.
This is a free-to-air channel, providing you have a TV license.
You can also live stream on .
BBC Radio 4 will broadcast the conference over the airwaves for those on the move.
Who were the speakers?
Dominic Raab led the press conference, in Boris Johnson's absence, and was assisted by deputy scientific adviser Angela Maclean and chief medical director, Chris Whitty.
Mr Raab would take charge of the nation should Mr Johnson be unable to.
What happened in today's briefing?
In today's press conference the government reaffirmed the priority to keep social distancing and stop the spread of coronavirus.
Increasing NHS capacity, beds, key staff and equipment were also on the agenda, as was supporting small business, who are likely to struggle as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
Also, the government vowed to work to bring home British citizens, who are stranded around the world.
The government also made a point of thanking NHS staff for their tireless work and sacrifice.
What was said in Sunday's briefing?
- Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he "cannot rule out further steps" being introduced in regards to exercising outside - but none are imminent. His comments were because the vast majority of people are following the rules, he said. "What we are doing is being absolutely clear that the current rules must be followed," he added.
- Two people Matt Hancock "was fond of" have died because of coronavirus. "I understand what a difficult time this is for the country," he said.
- The NHS has more than 9,000 ventilators now. That is being "ramped up" over the next week to reach a target of 18,000, Matt Hancock said. He continued to add it's not thought that many would be needed, but it is important to keep the supply above the need.
- England's deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries said it was important to test for potential cases of Covid-19 in care homes and prisons. But Dr Harries said hospitals have to be top of the list.
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