With warm weather and the weekend approaching, the Prime Minister, Health Secretary and Britain’s Chief Nurse called for the public to remain indoors. The death of two NHS nurses underlines the urgency of this request. In the UK, the number of dead has risen by 684 in the last 24 hours alone.

An on-line session with the Defence Select Committee (DSC) and two conference calls with local organisations dominated a day where demands for more testing become louder and louder.

It's the 1st of April and April-fool jokes are few and far between as we continue to battle this appalling virus. Social media has enabled many imaginative users to post all kinds of entertainment, especially of the singing kind.

Another sunny day, but that persistent and cold north-easterly continues to blow. By the end of the day, we learnt that a 13-year-old boy who tested positive for coronavirus had died. Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, from Brixton in south London, died in King's College Hospital early on Monday.

The grim news continues. The death toll in Britain rose by a further 209 to 1,228. Around the world, that figure has now risen to more than 30,000. Heart-warmingly, 20,000 former NHS staff are coming back to work to help fight coronavirus.

Another sunny, but cold spring day. The big news of the day was that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had tested positive for coronavirus and was self-isolating in Downing Street.

TWO useful contact details:

One for those fighting the coronavirus on the frontline; the other a contact number for the vulnerable stuck in their homes.

1. PPE

This is mainly for the NHS and the care sector, but if PPE is required or in short supply, you should call:

The much-needed and expected statement from Chancellor Rishi Sunak was made this afternoon. He said that self-employed workers can apply for a grant worth 80 per cent of their average monthly profits to help them cope with the financial impact of coronavirus.

Another day in the coronavirus saga. With resources at full stretch, the Government launched an urgent appeal for 250,000 volunteers to help the NHS. Staggeringly, by the end of today, that number had been surpassed.

London was even more sombre this morning following the PM's stark message last night. I drove down empty streets as I headed to the Commons. It was almost surreal. Treasury Questions began the parliamentary day, with MPs on the Order Paper only being allowed in the Chamber.