THE Government are continuing to provide daily press briefings to the public on the coronavirus situation.
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What time was the press conference today?
Today's press conference started around 5pm and was broadcast live by most news channels including the BBC.
It is normally held in Downing Street between 4pm and 6pm and lasts 15 to 30 minutes.
The briefings have been ongoing since March 16.
Who hosted today's briefing?
Today's briefing was held by Dominic Raab and chief scientific officer Sir Patrick Vallance and focused on repatriations.
Raab said there are an unprecedented number of Brits abroad trying to get home.
Up to a million Brits are thought to be stranded abroad as airlines and borders shut down across the world to help combat the spread of Covid-19.
The UK are set to spend £75 million on charter flights to bring them home when there are no other routes available.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for Trade have signed a memorandum of understanding with Virgin, EasyJet, Jet 2 and Titan Airways to help travellers reach home where they have tickets and where commercial flights are still available.
British Airways have also made a commitment.
Travellers will be able to use different flight carriers or fly on different days in order to get home.
If there is no commercial option, the FCO will use travel management company CTM to organise charter flights.
What happened in yesterday's conference?
Yesterday's press briefing was hosted by Secretary of State for Housing, Robert Jenrick, and deputy Chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries.
They focussed on encouraging people to stay at home to fight the spread of coronavirus.
Mr Jenrick revealed that 50 thousand of the UK's most vulnerable will receive government care packages by the end of the week.
He also announced “strategic coordination centres” around the country led by respective "gold commanders" – emergency service leaders that are specifically trained to handle major events.
He said: "We each have a part to play by staying at home, protecting the NHS and saving lives.
"When this is done – and it will be done – we all want to proud of the part we played together."
Dr Harries said that restrictions will likely be in place for about six months, and stressed that that time will be shortened if we take stricter action to stay indoors now.
She added that the situation will be reviewed in three weeks' time, but things are unlikely to return to normal.
She said restrictions are likely to start being eased in around three months.
She warned that the number of daily deaths is expected to rise over the next week or two.
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How can I watch the daily coronavirus press briefings?
You can watch the government's daily press briefings using a live stream on our YouTube channel.
You can also follow live updates on the conference and the coronavirus in the UK through our live blog.
On TV, the press conferences are broadcast live on BBC News.
Why is the government holding daily briefings?
Boris Johnson and his senior cabinet ministers had been criticised for a lack of regular updates into what is happening with the coronavirus outbreak.
Among them was Sir Keir Starmer – a candidate to become the next Labour leader – who called for daily press conferences.
The Shadow Secretary said he was “deeply concerned” that “ministers have been failing in their responsibilities to provide consistent and transparent public health advice”.
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