The island’s phone-tracking system is an ‘electronic fence’, using existing phone signals to triangulate mobile phone owners’ locations. To ensure users comply, an alert is sent to the authorities if the handset is turned off for more than 15 minutes. More than 6,000 people subjected to home quarantine are monitored this way. Officials phone users up to twice a day to make sure they have their mobile to hand, and to ask about their health. Milo Hsieh is under quarantine. Early on Sunday morning, while he was sleeping, two police officers knocked at his door. His phone had run out of battery; in less than an hour four different administrative units had called. Police were dispatched to check his whereabouts. A text was sent saying that the government had lost track of him, and warning of potential arrest if he had broken quarantine.

Liberty University has 100,000 pupils studying online, with a further 15,000 attending campus in Virginia. It will now allow 5,000 students to return to campus and halls of residence despite the state governor ordering all schools to close until the end of the academic year. An email to students said, ‘All planned international trips have been cancelled, but students should return to campus this week. Liberty University is open and operating normally.’ The majority of lessons will be conducted online, but staff have been instructed to ‘report to work as normal’. According to the university president, on-site pupils have said, ‘Don't send us home to study online; we love it here, we want to stay'. This decision came after President Trump questioned whether public health measures to prevent coronavirus contagion were too strict. Health officials stressed that relaxing them could put more people at risk.

David Marshall, of the Meaningful Chocolate Company, launched the Real Easter Egg ten years ago after discovering that not a single Easter egg mentioned the Christian faith. This startling revelation was the springboard for this egg, which, a decade on, still cuts a lonely figure in the sea of chocolate eggs on supermarket shelves that make no reference whatsoever to the Christian origins of the festival. But the fact that it is still on the shelves isn't something David takes for granted: after all, when the egg was first launched, supermarkets were reluctant to stock it. There is little reference to Jesus or the religious aspect of Easter elsewhere, but David’s company continues to provide faith-based Easter eggs that come with a children's book telling the story of Easter.

The Constantine Bay Store, near Padstow, wants older people to be able to shop ‘exclusively and with confidence’. Each day between 8 and 8.30 am, the shop will open its doors only to those born before 1950. The owner said he hoped it would ‘give them a little bit of peace of mind’ in the fight against coronavirus. Nationwide, Sainsburys are introducing a similar incentive. C3 Church in Cambridge gave out 3,000 ‘Love Your Neighbour’ flyers to its congregation to post through their neighbours’ doors, offering to collect groceries, speak on the phone, or collect a prescription for those who are in self-isolation. Church members fill in their contact details on the flyer so that people can request help. See Neighbourhood Prayer Network have produced ‘Help Cards For Your Street’, which can be downloaded free here

A Baptist blogger recently wrote that in an atmosphere of fear and vulnerability because of COVID-19, we have an unprecedented opportunity to display the goodness of God. But to do that we need to walk in the opposite spirit of what surrounds us. If our peace is a shallow layer over fear, it isn’t enough. On the other hand, if we wait on God and connect until His confidence fills us, then we can carry His presence with us. Fear blunts our thinking, making us inflexible and unfeeling toward others. In contrast, with a heart at rest, we can receive Him and all we need (James 1:5-7). When we connect with God, He pours His love into our hearts (Romans 5:5). Then, even if we are surrounded by an atmosphere of self-interest, we can walk in the opposite spirit, looking for ways to bless others.

Many people over 70, pregnant women, and those with underlying health conditions are now in voluntary lockdown, taking personal responsibility to stay away from potential infection. Continue to pray for their protection and peace of mind. The nation should avoid gatherings and crowded places, including pubs, clubs, theatres, underground and even the workplace if they can work from home. Pray for a calm response to these government requests. Most schools are shut ‘to reduce social contact throughout society’. Children of ‘key workers’ and those who receive free meals or depend on school for food and security will be catered for in some classrooms with a skeleton staff. Pray for any ‘anomalies’ in these provisions to be speedily resolved, for example teachers who are parents with school children at home. Pray for wise government strategies and for parents presented with childcare issues. Some stay-at-home parents will struggle financially. May government provisions be adequate for these and other vulnerable groups.

What will life be like for the over-70s in self-isolation in the countryside? When Carol, aged 70, heard on 15 March that she could be stuck indoors for the long haul, she took the first bus of the day four miles into Bridport to buy supplies. ‘I was the only person on the bus and when I got to the shops some shelves were bare. I tried to book a Tesco delivery but there were no slots until 4 April.’ Her story is repeated across the country. Elizabeth Harley, a lay preacher at the Chapel in the Garden in Bridport, runs a community fridge which distributed four tonnes of surplus food to people in need last year, but gifts to her project are now scarce. However, thanks to a coronavirus community support Facebook page, Carol has received many encouraging offers of help.

The Supreme Court will not hear the case of Alina Dulgheriu, who has challenged a protection order introduced in 2018 around a London abortion facility. The order criminalises silent prayer and offers of help. The young mother, who herself had received help from a now-banned group, argued that this violated fundamental rights to freedom of speech and assembly. She is now considering her options for challenging this decision. Ms Dulgheriu said, ‘My little girl is here today because of the practical and emotional support that I was offered outside a Marie Stopes centre. I brought the appeal to ensure that other women did not have this vital support option removed. It is unthinkable that any council would criminalise an offer to help a woman keep her child.’ She is now considering the possibility of bringing her case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

In light of Government guidance around non-essential contact, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have said that public worship is suspended until further notice. Churches should be open wherever possible, but no public worship services should take place. Prayers can be said on behalf of everyone, and churches should consider ways of sharing this with the wider community. There are digital resources available. Funerals are significant events with family and friends gathering to express grief, give thanks for the life lived, and commend the person into God’s keeping. Christian funerals will continue but with some adaptations - limiting the numbers of those attending to immediate family, and using technology to capture the event for those who are unable to be there in person. Also, social distancing measures should be observed. Churches remain committed to offering pastoral and spiritual support, sharing the love and hope of Jesus Christ. For special prayers and liturgy go here

The BBC has announced that it will focus more programmes on the coronavirus outbreak, offering more education, fitness, religion and recipes for those stuck at home. A dedicated coronavirus podcast will be released daily, and local radio stations will provide support phone-ins to communities around the country. ITV will broadcast news specials and suspend some planned entertainment shows; others will go ahead without a live audience. There will be further developments and challenges filling the gaps left by the suspension of sporting events - weekly prime-time coronavirus specials on BBC One, podcasts filmed for BBC’s News Channel, crisis phone-ins, programmes for health and wellbeing advice, education programming for school children, and virtual church services on Sunday mornings. A daytime programme on BBC One will address concerns of viewers in isolation, and ITV has a new weekly coronavirus report to ‘give viewers in-depth insights into issues affecting them during the crisis’.