>> a decade of low unemployment wiped out in a matter of weeks. economics paints a stark picture of the u.s. future after the coronavirus. i am barbara. you're watching al jazeera live from london. also coming up, the new normal for a bit longer. do you get extends its lockdown restrictions for a few more weeks. why are people from minority backgrounds more likely to get seriously ill from covid-19 in the u.k.? an inquiry is launched. kill eight people

while e enforcing lockdown measures. and adrift foror two monthths. hundreds of refugees are rescued but 24 die of starvation. thank you for joining us. we begin in the u.s. who a decade of employment games have been wiped out in a matter of weeks. since donald trump declared a national emergency on the 13th of march, that is just over a month ago, 22 million americans have filed for unappointed benefits. 5.2 million of them in the last week. for the pandemic, unemployment in the world's largest economy was at a near record low. let's cross to our white house correspondent, kimberly. obviously these are worrying figures. how do you think the numbers will be received in the white house?

kimberly: it will not be received well. this is a white house that continues to try to put a negative spin -- a positive spin under negative news. that will be increasingly difficult. the numbers are expected to continue to rise in terms of the number of americans filing for employment claims in the united states. it is expected that in the coming weeks that number we are at right now in the low 20 million, it could double. overnight, is that it is predicted that roughly 46 million americans lost their jobs and the only reason those numbers are not up at 46 million right now is the states with a process these claims just can't cope with the number of claims. they are overwhelmed, they are using antiquated computer systems. as a result, the numbers we have are not really reflective of how many people don't have a job right now. just to make matters worse, the money that had been in that big rescue package, that to trillion

dollar rescue package from congress, 350 billion of it was for small businesses. they could keep people on the payrolls that way. that money ran out. the effort to get another 250 billion through congress failed. right now, there are even more people preparing to be out of work. we know the president has always been keen to get the economy going again. he was reluctant to suspend everything in the first place. do you think these numbers will add an element of urgency and momentum to re-open the economy? kimberly: there is no question. the president is under a lot of pressure. he had calls with top business leaders, some governors. he is very keen to get this economy going again, to open it up again. that is with the focus of the upcoming press conference will be about.

the president says he will have guidelines to reopen the economy. we are already getting a hint of what it might look like. dr. deborah birx spoke in the briefing yesterday. what she told us is there are a number of states, at least nine that have not really had significant cases in terms of numbers of covid-19. it seems unrealistic to continue to keep such states closed. the president is going to issue these federal guidelines but we should point out that despite his claims of total authority, it is not his decision to reopen the economy. it sits with local mayors and state governors and will ultimately be those who decide when the economies reopen. i should point out in washington dc, stay-at-home order has been extended another month. we hear that new york state will be extending as well as other new york -- northeast data. this is something that will be decided regionally even as the u.s. president is giving recommendations and guidelines at the federal level. >> the latest on that from the

white house. thank you. now we can speak to dennis nash. ofis a professor at the city nero. thank you for joining us. obviously, it is a deeply worrying figure when it comes to unemployment that we just read out. it has been a balance for leaders all over the world, saving lives and then also economyo maintain the going. looking at things from the medical point of view, do you think parts of the u.s. are anywhere near ready to lift restrictions in some way? ready ate u.s. is not all. be in placeneed to for that to happen. something places in the u.s. have an overwhelming number of covid cases in hospitals and icus. that is still the case here. until we can reduce covid hospitalizations to a manageable ease thesean't

physical distancing measures. our health care workers and first responders continue to be placed at risk. until we can ensure their safety , we can't take about relaxing these restrictions. third, if we can someday get to a place that is safer, the requiresalth response scalable and limitation strategies for testing and contact treatment and isolation and quarantine. it is not scalable. better epidemic intelligence. we need to deploy right metrics. we need to be able to rapidly detect when hospitalizations are picking up again. in light of all of those listed, ihat you just guess focusing on new york where you are, i know it is hard to predict but when do you think, with timed -- what kind of

timescale can you foresee -- can you foresee a time and some restrictions might be lifted? >> it is hard to predict of the time but i can say that we are far away from that. are stillals and icus overwhelmed. testing availability is not where it needs to be. that weally important relax physical distancing. there will be a lot of testing and contact tracing. we don't have the resources and scalable strategy, even in new york city right now for that. it is going to be a while until we can get those things in place. then, when transmission is low, we can consider that it might be safe enough to begin to pull back a little bit. there are a lot of boxes that need to be checked. protection of the public health care workers and first responders and first priorities. >> you mentioned when transmission is low. is the having of the

transmission rates. do you think that would be a valid marker? how close is new york to that? maybe a more poignant marker is when you can get hospitalizations and icu beds down to a level that is well below capacity so that if there is another surge, it can be absorbed by the health care system. i think that is the first one. if you want to think about markers of transmission, we need to be able to get the 1.roductive number to below speakingyour obvious a to us from new york which is being very badly hit. the situation across the united states. it is up to the individual governors to define how and when they want to act. do you think that is wise? the virus knows no borders. do you think you can have a situation where some states

start lifting the lockdown when others don't? do you think that might make the situation worse across the nation? of the sameome guidelines apply. there needs to be a number of things in place before it can be safe to consider doing that. we need to be able to make sure there is room in the health care system to absorb a surge of it happened. they need to be able to know that they can detected early and respond to it early. i would say that before any other jurisdiction that may not be heavy hit by covid right now considers doing that, they may want to make sure there are a number of things in place before. professorhat was the of epidemiology from the city of new york. thank you for your time. u.k. now.o the the government has announced the extension of social and economic restrictions for at least another three weeks. says now is not the time

to give the virus is second chance. or than 13,000 people have died in the u.k.. there are over 104 thousand confirmed infections. we have more from london. capital,n's financial quiet, empty. in what was meant to be the height of the working week. it began as a novelty but it is fast becoming in a comfortable reality. now, a bleak message from the british government while the virus rooms -- flumes and lingers. there will be no return to normal. risk wasting all of the sacrifices and all of the progress. that would risk a quick return to another lockdown with the threat to the life that the virus would bring and all the economic damage second lockdown would carry. >> in a major new study by the office of national statistics, half of all british adults say the virus is affecting their sense of well-being.

contributing to heightened levels of anxiety with many people setting financial worries. the virus is affecting the health of the nation in more ways than one. >> according to recent funundin, we arere not all in this togeth. we know men are twice as likely to die of the virus. so too are those with underlying conditions. also greater risk, people in poorly paid jobs. those are black, asian and minority backgrounds who are 30% more likely to become critically ill. many of those contracting the virus are essential workers. cleaners,s, caregivers and the national health service. this is mary. an nhs nurse. she was pregnant when she tested positive for covid-19. she died soon after her baby was delivered alive and well by emergency cesarean. a formal review is to be launched to understand the deepening disparity in deaths.

a long-standing inequality in wealth and health. that means that some are more likely to lose their lives. al jazeera, london. ofbara: the europe director the world health organization has warned countries not to rush to lift restrictive measures because the total number of coronavirus cases has almost doubled to nearly a million in just 10 days. the president of the european commission admits that mistakes were made in responding to the pandemic. we have more on the situation across europe. >> with europe's death toll edging toward an hundred thousand, a warning from the world health organization. message is clear, there is no fast track back to normal lives. >> make no mistake, despite doing better, we remain in the midst of the storm. several countries are yet to feel the impact.

are experiencing a div as numbers of new cases of covid-19 are falling. nots imperative that we do let down now. >> italy still has the highest coronavirus death toll. it's lockdown measures are currently ending on the fourth of may. the head of the hard-hit lumbar division is calling for businesses to reopen then, observing basic social distancing rules. the european union is apologizing for not doing more in early march when italy was the only country that had enforced a lockdown. >> it is true that no one was really ready for this. it is also true that too many were not there on time when italy needed a helping hand at the very beginning. thathat, it is right europe as a whole offers a heartfelt apology. sorry only counts for something if it changes

behavior. spain --rsday's thursday, spain's held administer said it is too early to tell if the trend will continue. in barcelona, the mayor is calling for children to be allowed out of their homes. spain is the only european country enforcing such a ban. over the border in france, at have testedilors positive for the virus. the ship turned around mid deployment in the atlantic last week. 20 crew are now in hospital. belonging, factories to volkswagen denver city's bends plan to start production next week at the same time that shops and showrooms will be open. police will gradually lift measures from sundown. they told people they must wear a face mask in public. >> it is not comfortable but if it is necessary, we have no choice. we must abide by the rules.

>> there are people who don't cover their mouth's and the cough or sneeze in public places. this is an obvious and good measure. are planningthey on spending all of easter at home. curses -- churches are shocked that families can together. >> i feel terrible. is all celebrate it as it regular day but we have shown patients. >> the greek government says it will soon start moving more than 2000 elderly and sick asylum-seekers from congested island camps to the mainland. it is an attempt to stop a covid-19 outbreak and a reminder of the challenges europe still faces as it asks itself how long the crisis will continue. al jazeera. >> still to come on al jazeera, the financial impact of the coronavirus as businesses shut up shop, china's economy slows to a standstill.

the coronavirus, refugees in yemen say they have not received aid in months. >> we have lots of lovely spring sunshine across much of europe at the moment. largely clear skies. a big area of high pressure is very much in charge. andave some wet and windy injury whether up toward the northeast, pushing down to the western side of russia. nasty storms into greece and on the cool side, the wetter weather will be out of the way. we will make way for the next weather system which will drive in across the southwest. weather into the northwest of france. this is pushing up against parts

of southern england and wales. 25 celsius in paris. we hold onto the worm for one more day. sunshine, getting to 25 degrees. wetter weather to the northwest. we have some shower remain coming across spain and portable -- portugal. this is sliding across the northwest of africa, over toward northern parts of libya. we could see one or two showers coming in here as we make our way through the weekend. barbara: a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. another 5.2 million americans have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic..

it is the fourth consecutive week that unemployment claims have surged. at least 22 million people have now lost their jobs in less than a month. of the worldrector health organization has cautioned countries not to rush to lift restrictive measures. the warning was made as the u.k. announced it would extend its restriction for at least three more weeks. 24 refugees have died of starvation on about that had been adrift for two months. hundreds of others were rescued by the bangladeshi coast guard on wednesday after their boat failed to reach malaysia. >> out of the darkness, figures emerge. exhausted, their eyes a mirror of the horrors they experienced. clutching their children or what is left of their belongings. the final step is almost too much for some. at least two dozen refugees are

boat failed tor reach malaysia and drifted for weeks. >> my mother died in the boat. brothers and sisters are still alive but one of my daughters is missing. >> the agency has since stopped to help, saying that survivors are streaming malnourished and dehydrated. >> we suffered a lot. we were adrift for two months. us,e were more than 500 of now there are only 400. >> the coast guard got a tip off about the boat. they founded off the southern coast. watersntered malaysian three times but they did not bring us in. many of us died in the heat. board,ere too many on men, women and children.

>> of the boat was turned back from elysian waters because of coronavirus restrictions. whether looking into the group was fleeing myanmar or the crowded refugee camps in bangladesh. theand says they are world's most persecuted minority. they are the largest stateless group. nice addition by myanmar where many have lived for centuries. unders up thousands have crossed the border since 2017 when myanmar's military lunch -- launched a crackdown against them. >> don't have adequate health services, the children can go to school. a dangerousaking and perilous voyage to try to get to a better life in malaysia. malaysia is very reluctant to have more people arrive at their borders. there was a previous boat that came on april 5 where over 200 running a made it -- 200 of them made it.

on -- the u.n. has offered to help move these to quarantines. while their immediate future may bencertainty -- uncertain, they are being cared for. barbara: nigeria's security forces have killed 18 people while enforcing coronavirus lockdown measures. thanis a higher death toll the 12 lives the virus has claimed according to official government figures. the army and police have been deployed to enforce restrictions in the mega city, the capital and other states, sparking deadly confrontations in some areas. more now from the capital. >> 18 people have been killed and eight of them were actually killed by debt allegedly killed by correctional officers.

the prison offices in the northwest state. accusedce work -- were of killing several individuals. a local committee enforcing the lockdown in southeast nigeria was also responsible for killing one individual. security forces in nigeria have been accused by individuals lockdown in several states. we have seen security forces and cities, checking cars, all of that. in the process, we were told that there were several abusers -- abuses carried out. apart from the usual demand for bribes, people were harassed. in the case of the 18 people, these were people who were shot for either allegedly violating the lockdown order or for one offense or the other.

caused: the pandemic economic growth to stall at 0% for the first time in 60 years. that is the latest dire projection from the international on a terry fund. the outbreak has taken an unprecedented -- international monetary fund. taken its toll. china will release its latest gross to master product figures on friday. analysts are not inspecting good news. the second largest economy has slowed to a standstill because of the coronavirus outbreak. small businesses are among the worst affected. katrina reports from beijing. >> empty chairs and empty tables. this beijing restaurant once served 200 customers every day. because of the coronavirus pandemic, it is now struggling to survive. closener was forced to the u.s. themed diner for almost three months. >> there is no cash flow if we open.

cash flow is most important for a restaurant. we are still paying for the rent and stopped wages. ins, their accommodations beijing. we have taken a really big hit. >> small and medium-sized enterprises have been the worst hit by the health crisis. local covid-19 infections have eased in china and life is slowly returning to normal. many businesses have been forced to close for good. this restaurant strip was once bustling with customers but since the beginning of february, it has been quiet. alsogn business owners are suffering. they are requesting financial support and an end to the ban on foreigners entering the country. >> we need a stronger measure in the short termrm. this is a matter of life or survival for this company. action should be taken immediately. , some are livers

streaming to sell products. for many, such efforts to adapt to the outbreak will not be enough. analysts don't expect the world's second largest economy to bounce back before 21. >> right now, the biggest challenge is to stabilize unemployment. week demand from the demented market and the foreign market. >> this chinese appliance maker approved -- laid off 10,000 workers this month following a drop in sales. more than 20 million people nationwide are expected to lose their jobs by the end of the year. they are doing everything they can to retain all of staff. they started offering home delivery and reopen the albeitant this week, under strict conditions. >> they have to sit at least one meter apart. can only accommodate half

their capacity. >> all he can do is wait for economic stimulus measures, for coronavirus vaccine and for more customers. they are now few and far between. al jazeera, beijing. barbara: displaced people in yemen said their living conditions are deteriorating. they are concerned that coronavirus could reach their camps. they feared any outbreak could have been devastating. we have the story. quagmire, a camp in the southern region hosts nearly 400 families. they fled the fighting in the western cities two years ago. with their lives but little else. >> we have not received relief eight for nine months. relief organizations have stopped coming here. people can't get out to work. medicine, get food,

carpet, blanket and much more. >> most of the people in the camp are women and children. finding food is a daily struggle. drinkable water is rare. so is a different education for the young. these are their homes. this is what happens when it rains. saudi and the united arab emirate started a conflict with this group. they took power by force in the capital. more than 17,000 civilians have been killed and injured and more than 20 million are facing food insecurity. those, 10 million are at risk of famine. >> this is a dangerous disease that threatens the whole world. we must protect ourselves and our children. >> the first confirmed infection in yemen was announced last week. >> we have suggested a few

measures that includes distancing between tenants and preventing gatherings with support from unicef. we need medicines and to train our staff in how to display immediate care in case of an outbreak of the disease. >> this is just one camp across yemen. there are 10 more in this province alone. in the northern region, this camp is another instance of the misery that work can bring. yemen is already one of the poorest countries in the region. it is now divided between fights foreign and local. the conflict has hampered the work of early organizations. the u.n. has called for a humanitarian cease-fire to bring in aid. saudi arabia announced a cease-fire was to take place earlier this month but new saudi air raids and fighting on the ground have been reported by official media. the war has destroyed almost everything. its primary victims are too

young to act or even to understand. the united nations says more than half of the 24 million people in yemen who need humanitarian help our children. yemen andhe future of the fufuture