As well as the government’s £330 billion package to help the economy last night, they also finally unveiled their Coronavirus emergency legislation – something they always said they’d get done ahead of the point the powers are needed. They may be cutting it a bit fine…

The bill, which is expected to be nodded through in the coming days, includes the powers to:

• Allow police to detain people and place them in “appropriate isolation facilities”
• Shut airports
• Reduce paperwork allowing doctors to discharge patients early and free up beds for the seriously ill
• Allow ministers to forcibly close schools, or keep them open
• Enable councils to make “best use” of the social carers in deciding care levels
• Allow recently-retired staff to return to the NHS without affecting their entitlements
• Sped up funeral arranging to “manage the deceased in a dignified way” should the UK experience “excess deaths”
• More court hearings will take place via phone or video

Most bleak of all is the news that some families will not be able to visit their dying relatives in hospital to prevent the spread, with some having to Skype in for their final moments.

In other Coronavirus news, Neil Ferguson – the British epidemiologist who’s been leading the Government’s modelling – has confirmed he has tested positive for the virus, and overnight Eurovision 2020 has officially been cancelled. Perhaps most shockingly of all, Parliament is closing all its bars…