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. It's also heart-warming to see the effort being made to thank all those on the frontline of this pandemic, which includes all those working in the NHS, postal service, rubbish collection, farmers, prisons, charities, the police and fire service, civil servants and of course the countless volunteers. Depressingly, today saw the biggest daily increase in deaths. Some 2,352 virus patients have died in hospital as of 1700 on Tuesday - up 563 in a day. Prime Minister Boris Johnson responded to calls for more testing, saying it was "massively increasing" and it was "the way through" the pandemic. Helpfully, Business Secretary Alok Sharma issued a stark warning to banks, after concerns that up to a million companies could fold because they could be denied emergency loans. Mr Sharma said: "It would be completely unacceptable if any banks were unfairly refusing funds to good businesses in financial difficulty." In separate news, the family of a 13-year-old boy, who died after testing positive for coronavirus, have pleaded with the public to follow social distancing rules to protect the NHS and save lives. Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, from Brixton, died in hospital on Monday. The effect of this shut-down is beginning to reveal itself as nearly a million people applied for universal credit benefits in the past fortnight. The Department for Work and Pensions said 950,000 successful applications for the payment were made between 16 March, when people were advised to work from home, and the end of the month. This is a staggering figure and there will be more like this as the shut-down really begins to bite. I am sure that, like me, you are fascinated to see what happens in Sweden, which has adopted a very different approach to tackling this virus. They have not shut down their economy, although there are some restrictions in place, like the banning of large groups of people. Meanwhile, I attended two conference calls, one to our council, the other with the police. Both were extremely useful and I am grateful to both parties to enable this when everyone is so busy. One bit of good news is that I understand that Dorset's capacity within the NHS to cope with virus victims has dramatically increased after certain measures were taken. Crime is down by a quarter, with a fall in 999 calls, too. The police are urging everyone to follow the Government's guidelines, although they reassured those on the call that their officers were adopting a low-key and proportionate response, which must be right. So, another spring day in a world that we are still trying to comprehend. With Wimbledon now cancelled, there will be many, like me, who are distraught, as watching this graceful game is one of life's rich pleasures. We must now look forward to next year. Come on Roger F .. don't stop now, please!