The number of people who have died in the UK after contracting coronavirus has risen to 177 after England saw 39 more deaths – the biggest rise in a day.

Social distancing restrictions need to be in place for “at least most of a year” to control the spread of coronavirus, according to experts advising the government about the pandemic.

The number of people who have died after contracting coronavirus in the UK has risen to 144, the Department of Health has said.

Boris Johnson has said the UK “can turn the tide” against coronavirus in the next 12 weeks – but subsequently admitted the government “don’t know how long” the crisis will last for.

Tens of thousands of retired healthcare professionals are being urged to return to work to help the NHS through the coronavirus crisis.

The government plans to purchase hundreds of thousands of antibody tests to detect if someone has already had coronavirus – in what could be a “gamechanger” in the UK’s response to the outbreak, Boris Johnson said.

The Queen has issued a message of solidarity following the coronavirus outbreak, saying families around the UK were entering “a period of great concern and uncertainty”.

Up to 20,000 service personnel will be put on standby to help combat the coronavirus, with troops gearing up to drive oxygen tankers, support the police and boost hospital capacity.

Families across the UK are scrambling to figure out how they can keep their children’s education going at home. Sky News asked the experts.

Schools across the UK will close from Friday until further notice, the education secretary has announced.