Across the UK, online, on DAB and on your smart speaker, the Independent Republic of Mike Graham on Talk Radio.

Good morning and welcome to the Independent Republic of Mike Graham right here on talk radio.

And so the lockdown begins

and yet it doesn't. We're about to enter the eighth week of exposure to coronavirus and we are now

seeing politicians, footballers, actors amongst the estimated 10,000 people who are now thought

to have the disease in the United Kingdom. Yesterday Boris Johnson told the country to prepare for

the deaths of many loved ones. Quite an extraordinary statement.

The city's finances suffered their worst losses since 1987, and more and more people have been told

that they must stay at home if they have a cough or a temperature, because they are calling this

the worst public health crisis for a generation. Today, we will continue to ask for your calls,

as more and more people prepare to be sent home from work.

Schools remain open, but it does look increasingly likely that that could change,

although we're only a fortnight away now from the Easter holidays.

Tell us what your companies are doing, what you're hearing from your children's teachers,

and what your plans are for next week, if everybody's told not to move around.

How exactly will that be working?

0344-49-1,000.

Coming up, we'll be travelling to Spain and to Denmark

to test the temperature of what a proper lockdown

actually looks and feels like

and how people are actually operating within those constrictions.

Also, we'll be finding out what the future holds

...