That’s it for this blog for today. We’ve launched a new one at the link below where I’ll be taking you through the latest news for the next few hours: Hundreds of worshippers attended services at a Louisiana church on Sunday, flouting a ban on large gatherings, angering neighbours and seemingly turning a deaf ear to their governor, who once again warned that hospitals could soon be overwhelmed with new cases of the coronavirus, AP reports. An estimated 500 people of all ages filed inside the mustard-yellow and beige Life Tabernacle church in Central, a city of nearly 29,000 outside Baton Rouge. Assistant ministers and worshippers who stood outside the front doors and in the parking lot of Life Tabernacle told news reporters to leave, saying cameras would not be allowed on the property and they had been told not to talk to the news media. In these extraordinary times, the Guardian’s editorial independence has never been more important. Because no one sets our agenda, or edits our editor, we can keep delivering quality, trustworthy, fact-checked journalism each and every day. Free from commercial or political bias, we can report fearlessly on world events and challenge those in power. Your support protects the Guardian’s independence. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to accurate news and calm explanation. No matter how unpredictable the future feels, we will remain with you, delivering high quality news so we can all make critical decisions about our lives, health and security – based on fact, not fiction. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. Make a contribution - The Guardian Hi everyone, I’m Helen Sullivan with you now for the next few hours. You can get in touch with me at any point on Twitter @helenrsullivan. That’s all from me, Clea Skopeliti. My colleague Helen Sullivan will be guiding you through the next few hours as events continue to unfold. Many thanks to everyone who got in touch via Twitter. Here are the main points from the last few hours: Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal, has announced it will cap the number of people allowed to enter its islands to 100 a week from Tuesday. Up to 1,000 British nationals stranded in Peru are being repatriated by the foreign office tonight. Over 100 Irish nationals and dozens of others from 13 EU countries are also on their way back via a rescue flight organised by Ireland. Egyptian banks have been instructed to apply temporary caps on daily withdrawals and deposits, while Zimbabwe has legalised the use of foreign currency in domestic transactions as the countries deal with the outbreak. Costa Rica has confirmed 19 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases in the country up to 314. This follows Bolivia and Uruguay both announcing their first coronavirus deaths today. Fort Lauderdale’s mayor has expressed opposition to having a cruise ship with coronavirus patients dock in the city’s port. Mayor Dean Trantalis issued a statement explaining that the port is in the middle of a very urban area. 20,000 former NHS staff have returned to support the health service, Boris Johnson said in a video posted online. Nigeria’s president has ordered a lockdown in Lagos and the capital city of Abuja. Moscow has announced a citywide lockdown beginning tomorrow, confining residents of the city of nearly 12 million people to their homes. France has announced 292 deaths in 24 hours, and has reached a total of 40,174 confirmed cases. Italy has said it will extend its month-long lockdown beyond 3 April. The decision came as the number of deaths in the country increased by 756 to reach 10,779. Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal, has announced it will cap the number of people allowed to enter its islands at 100 a week from Tuesday, Reuters reports. The available hotel space will be used to quarantine people with coronavirus symptoms. The region has confirmed a total of 34 cases. Hundreds of British and Irish nationals gathered under white awnings are sat on rows of plastic chairs in a makeshift terminal set up at Lima’s military airbase known as Grupo Aéreo Ocho, amid emergency workers and soldiers. “We’re all just really happy to be going home,” said Ellie Harper , 32, who had been marooned in Huacachina, a desert oasis five hours from the Peruvian capital. “As hard as it has been to organise and get everything together, from this morning the organisation from the Irish embassy from the UK British embassy has been fantastic.” “The staff at the airport have been really lovely and friendly and have explained everything to us really clearly and they’re working to find ways to get absolutely everybody on board,” she added. The first Boeing 777 left with 219 passengers and the second is expected to leave at full capacity taking 275 passengers including one extra stranded traveler, who works as a BA flight attendant and was able to use the drop seat used by the crew. “While we’re very happy to be going home we are mindful that there are still Brits in Peru who need repatriating,” Harper said. Nine Britons and one Irish citizen who are staying in the Pariwana Hostel in Cusco have been prevented from joining the repatriation flights. Peruvian health authorities say they must remain under quarantine for up to three months along with some 140 fellow guests after two tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday. “We were treated like we were going to get on a flight today to then find out five hours before we could be here indefinitely,” Siân Forkan, one of the British guests, told The Guardian. Patients in the UK dying now were infected around a month ago, weeks before the country started social distancing, an expert has warned. Professor James Naismith, director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute at the University of Oxford, spoke out after a further 209 people died after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK. Although this is a lower number than the 260 deaths the previous day, he warned it is too early to draw conclusions, underlining that “daily numbers can be lower (or higher) than expected due to random factors”. Prof Naismith said: “I am confident that provided we follow social distancing the increase in deaths will stop and this will be followed by a decrease in the daily numbers. “It can take up to two weeks from infection to onset of symptoms. For over 80% of people these symptoms are mild, for the much smaller number who develop the most serious illness, intensive care is needed around 10 days later. “For those who do not recover but die, data from China suggests this takes around another four days. The tragic deaths today will be from people infected roughly a month ago. It is inevitable that there will be more tragedies for families ahead. “We can reduce the final death toll only by following current Government advice. We must expect and welcome changes in Government advice as science, medicine and social science work together to learn more.” British nationals in Peru to be repatriated Up to 1,000 British nationals stranded in Peru are being repatriated by the foreign office tonight. The British ambassador Kate Harrison has just confirmed on Twitter that one of the two British Airways flights leaving Lima tonight is full, with a second British Airways flight chartered by Ireland. Harrison said two more flights were due to leave Lima tomorrow. “Our first flight in today, working with the Irish in this context, has left with a full capacity. So every single seat on that flight back to the UK is now full. The second plane that will take off today - we’re looking to people from Cusco but other parts of Peru.. “This today will be our third flight leaving Peru for the UK, two flights chartered by the UK, one flight chartered by Ireland, and tomorrow we’ll have two more British Airways flights flying back from Lima to London, bringing British nationals back to the UK back to their friends and back to their families,” said Kate Harrison. More than 100 Irish nationals and dozens of others from 13 EU countries are also on their way back courtesy of a rescue flight organised by Ireland. Egyptian banks have been ordered to apply temporary caps on daily withdrawals and deposits, a policy that some analysts see as an attempt to control inflation and hoarding in the midst of the pandemic. The daily limit for individuals would be 10,000 Egyptian pounds and 50,000 pounds for companies, according to Reuters. This follows Zimbabwe legalising the use of foreign currency in domestic transactions in preparation for the country’s 21-day lockdown. There’s been an update on the Zaandam cruise ship, where four people have died. Fort Lauderdale’s mayor, Dean Trantalis, is reluctant to have the ship dock at Port Everglades, saying in a statement: “Our healthcare system could be extremely burdened by the time the ship arrives.” He called on the Trump administration to develop a plan of action and for “stringent separation procedures” if the ship does dock. From Reuters: Costa Rica has confirmed 19 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases in the country up to 314. This follows Bolivia and Uruguay both announcing their first coronavirus deaths today.