And that's really where I want to begin by thanking everybody by thanking you in the media and also thanking everyone for the huge efforts.

But the country's is making to comply with the advice that we've been given and what we're asking such a huge amount asking students to put their education on hold.

We're asking people not socialize in the normal way, Onda.

Already we can see the impact that this is happening, having on the on the UK economy and on business on great great companies on Dhe.

So it's vital that we in government stand behind them when what we are asking everyone to do is so crucial for saving literally thousands off lives by defeating this virus on DDE, I'm consciousness.

As the days have gone by the people, we want to know how long we're expecting them to keep it up.

And I wanted to try to say something today about how I see the time scale of this campaign on dhe and where we're going and what we we need to do on dhe.

I do think looking at it'll that we can turn the tide within the next 12 weeks, and I'm absolutely confident that we can send a Corona virus packing in this country.

But only if we take the steps.

We won't take the steps that we have outlined on DDE.

That is vital because that is how we're going toe reduce the peak.

And once we have achieved that, I think that we will, uh, if we do this, take take.

Except that I've said then the scientific progress that we're making will really start to come into play.

And I wanted to discuss a little bit of that this afternoon with you because we are rapidly becoming so much better at understanding the genomics of the heart of this virus.

Ah, little that is going on in this country.

We're getting better at understanding the medicines that may treat and cure it.

And today we've put the first British Corona patient into a randomized trial for drugs that may treat the disease.

UK experts, scientists expect er start trials for the first vaccine within a month.

On the public, we're getting better at testing.

This crisis is so difficult because the enemy is invisible on dhe the odds say, is to remove the cloak of invisibility on dhe toe, identify the vice and too bloated to know who which of us is carrying it or who has actually had it.

And now get over it on Dhe to give you an idea of what is coming down the track.

Where negotiations today to buy it.

A cycled antibody test a simple is a pregnancy test that can tell whether you have had the disease on DDE.

It's early days.

But if it works, as its proponents claim, then we will buy literally hundreds of thousands of these kicks as sumers practicable because obviously it has the potential to be a total game changer, because once you know that you have had it, you move that you're likely to be less vulnerable.

You're less likely to pass it on and you can go back to work.

And, of course, by the same token, were massively increasing the testing to see whether you have it now.

Andre ramping up daily testing from 5000 data 10,000 to 25,000 and then up to 250,000 and that knowledge of where the virus is will make a huge difference to our management of the disease and our ability to reduce disruption on economic difficulties.

And I went in tow, set that out because it's well, this is rapidly coming down the track, as I say, But it will take time to come on stream And that his Roy, in the meantime, to get back to a theme which in no, I'm going to repeat it is absolutely vital that we follow the advice suits we've being hearing in the last few days the announcements that we've already made about staying at home.

If you have the symptoms, if your family has the symptoms about avoiding unnecessary contact, avoiding gatherings where you may pick up the disease pubs, bars, restaurants, please, please follow all that advice scrupulously.

Work from home.

If you possibly can wash your hands, wash your hands on dhe.

It's by this combination of ruthless, determined collective action am scientific progress.

They were already seeing that we will.

We will succeed on dhe.

I know how difficult it may be.

It may seem right now, but if we do this together, we will save, as I say many, many thousands of lives on dhe toe everybody in the UK business where everybody who's worried about that, their drugs, ice and everybody in who faces difficulties because of the advice that we are giving, I say to business, Stand by your employees, stand by your workers because we will stand by you and you'll be hearing more about that in the course of the next day.

Also on that is how, by a mixture of collective, determined collective action and scientific progress, I'm absolutely died that we will turn the tide of this disease and beat it together.

Now I'm gonna ask.

I don't know whether whether either of our two distinguished experts need to add anything to that.

Don't think they they do way running.

I Why don't we just go straight to questions?

I don't propose to spend a very long time, but this particular one since we've had we've had about four or five.

He's already in the last few days, and I don't want I don't want to worry you with these occasions.

Feel very useful.

Good.

Okay, that's what Positive.

Let's Let's let's go to Let's go around the Nora first.

Laura Kononsberg, BBC Thanks very much.

Prime Minister you told the country yesterday, you wouldn't hesitate to take extra measures.

People are worried about what that might mean.

You tell people what might be next.

Will you within days seek to shut pubs, cafes, clubs on?

A lot of people have contacted us today to say the measures set out for businesses to apply to loans is simply not quick enough for them to be able to keep their staff on.

We've had a lot of messages from people who are running.

Businesses are deeply worried.

Is it good enough to say to business you can apply for a loan when many of them face immediate decisions?

That might mean they have to see a cut.

Staff.

Yeah, what?

Well 1st 1st of all on decisions about pubs, bars, restaurants and so a ZAY said, Well guided very much Bye bye, The science and whether we think that the advice that we've given is is working.

So a cz Lola's, we think that people are actually staying away from places where they made transmittal.

We'll pick up the disease in the way that we've recommended that we've recommended they should avoid those places.

If we feel that that is working, then we just want to say thank you to everybody for their extraordinary efforts and encourage everybody to do likewise.

If we feel that that it isn't working.

As I said yesterday, we need to bring forward tougher measures.

Then, of course, nothing is his rule diet.

But I want to thank everybody for what they're doing.

I know it's tough.

I know it's difficult, but we've just got to do it together.

And please, please, please follow the advice.

Second thing you mentioned business is a lot of the move.

Course.

Get grant up front.

I go too.

Aware of the difficulties and worries that they face the rumor of this tomorrow from from Richie the chance of issues soon at the Chancellor on my message toe.

The business is the one I gave just now.

Stand by your employees because we're going to stand by you.

I'm going to stand by the workers of this country is important.

But I wanna make this time It's gonna be different.

A cz we come through this difficult economic phase.

You remember what happened in 2008?

Everybody said he bailed out the banks and we didn't look after the people who ready.

So this time we're gonna make sure that will look after the people who really suffer from the economic consequences of what we're asking them to do will be directing our support to them.

First looking after the people first reviews going, Prime Minister.

Just a couple questions over the half of the 29 deaths today are in London S O.

P.

M.

I have to ask you on behalf of Londoners, do you not think it is now right to move to a more substantial lock down of the capital like they have done in Italy and Spain in France, where you can't leave your house unless your key worker or you're going to the shops for food or medicine?

I'm not doing that yet because you don't know how to enforce it or you can't enforce it or rather you'll do it.

But the time isn't quite right on.

Just secondly, a bit of hope there You're suggesting to the public that if they follow the rules that you can turn the tide on this disease, Are you telling people that bythe summer they might they just might have to go back to normal life.

We hope to go on their summer holidays.

Thank you.

Yeah, Thanks.

Beth will look a crucial thing.

There are a lot of stress that way.

Do you want to see people following the advice that we've given in the capital, which is offer, as you rightly say, the place where the disease seems to have been making the fastest progress?

And it's vital that people follow that advice and there's huge evidence that they are in the takings in the retail sector, the hospitality sector.

TfL in the London down about 80% in outer London, down about 60%.

But some evidence that in some parts of the capital, it's it's very patchy, and some some areas where people aren't perhaps following it in quite the way that we need them to do.

So you know, that is why, to get back the answer I gave toe tomorrow, we may have to consider going further, but I wanna I wanna stress that, um, you know, there is no prospect of us wanting to stop public transport in London or stop t f stop the tube or the or the buses were not gonna be telling people that under no circumstances, if they really need to go to work, can they go to work?

People understand there have been some, you know, I'm sure through no fault of the of the media, but there's been a bit of misunderstanding floating around about that.

We're going to want people tow, avoid gatherings where they can transmit the disease.

We're absolutely emphatic about that on Dhe.

If it becomes necessary to do more to ensure that, then we certainly we certainly will do so on on on on your second question, which was really about the timing, I am very confident we'll get this thing done.

I'm very confident that we'll beat Corona virus.

I think we can turn the tide within the next 12 weeks, but it depends on collective, resolute action on Dhe.

I think the encouraging thing is, the more disciplined we can all be in doing that, the greater the chances that the scientific community will be able soon to come out, as I say with fantastic results on testing, to say nothing of the other other medical treatments, your old best 90.

If I could ask you a couple of questions to Chris witty.

There's quite a lot of concern within the N hs about capacity running short in London hospitals.

Could you tell us a bit about how you see the capacity issue in London?

At second is you'll also be aware there is a lot of concern among medical staff that they're not getting the predict protective equipment, which is apparently in the system.

It's just not in the right places.

How quickly will you be able to get its the right places?

And then finally, Prime Minister, you came up with a very interesting number just now you said 250,000 tests.

What?

What did you mean by that?

They are they on course suit.

I'm gonna pass that ball strict.

Strict on the line.

Thio.

Patrick gave me the figure earlier on, but that's where that's where that's where we want to get way we want Testing is, I think, crucial to our success in defeating this virus.

We're making fantastic progress on testing.

I we had a great meeting in number 10 a couple of nights ago with people of supplying tests of all kinds, not just the antibody test, did I I mentioned but much faster and more efficient test to see whether you currently have the disease and the potential of those toe help us is obviously enormous.

We're not there yet, but we will get there very soon.

Patrick, you want to know about testing?

Yeah, Christmas office once danced there as well, but the testing too.

Public Health England currently leading the testing on this.

They're ramping up to 25,000 their proposals to get that much higher through other mechanisms for the virus itself on, then the antibody test.

If that turns out to be something that can really be applied, that's one that you want to ramp up a cz Well, so ideally, you'd like to get to those sorts of numbers.

You'd like to be able to do it for both testing the infection itself and testing the antibody practically that can be done.

I mean, the testing for the virus is a pretty standard technology.

It just happens to be obviously precise for this virus.

But it's not a new technology, but to invent on if the antibody test is reliable and works, and if so, that's that sentence.

But if it does, then that's a relatively easy thing to scale up on pressure in London.

So at the moment, London from the Corona virus is under pressure, but indirectly.

But that's going to go up.

That is actually the reason for doing order.

The things we're trying to do on Dhe, the first thing that will get under the greatest pressure will be in the intensive care on respiratory care system.

And that's the thing.

Which, in a sense, that's the first point of off Rheal pressure on the neck chest is gonna happen on Dhe to be clear, even if everybody does all the things we hope on DDE really, really would ask that they do do.

The numbers will continue to go up over the next two weeks because it continues.

It takes a while for there to be a lag for the lag until things start improved.

Now, at that stage, we need to do three things, the first of which is obviously to try and pull the peak down on.

That is the key thing that everybody can help with.

In terms of the social distancing on.

Let me be very straightforward.

If the numbers are high enough, if a high enough proportion of people choose to do going for serious social distancing.

And there's a lot of evidence a huge proportion of people are.

We don't know yet whether it's enough that will pull the peak down.

If they do not, then that is going to be a problem.

This is this is the national effort.

But the second thing we have to do on this is an N.