Boris Johnson has announced that the British government is telling all cafes, pubs, restaurants and clubs to close to prevent the further spread of the Covid-19 virus. They will close tonight and not open but they can continue to provide take out services.
Theaters, cinemas, leisure centres and gyms are also to close.
The Prime Minister had stopped short of telling them to close before now, instead advising people to stay away and not socialise as normal.
Mr Johnson mentioned no time scale for these measure but said they will be relaxed if they can be. He has repeatedly said he believes we can ‘turn the tide’ in the fight against the illness in three months.
“You may be tempted to go out tonight and I say to you please don’t, you may think that you are invincible – but there is no guarantee that you will get it,” he said. “But you can still be a carrier of the disease and pass it on. We want you as far as possible to stay at home.”
The government also announced they would help to pay employees’ wages to avoid lay offs, saying employees should get 80% of expected pay even if employers can’t afford to pay their wages.
177 have now died from the virus in the UK.
