Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered a lockdown of the UK, amid the rapid growing spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) across the country.
The announcement comes as the UK death toll has reached 335 yesterday, with 16 of those in Wales. The total number of confirmed cases in the UK rose to 6,650, with 418 in Wales.
In his statement, the Prime Minister has announced the immediate closure of non-essential businesses and limit people from leaving their homes.
The Government has promised to review these measures in three weeks times, and will relax them if they can.
The following businesses and premises must remain closed, with some exceptions:
Food and Drink
- Restaurants – Food delivery and takeaway can remain operational
- Cafes, including workplace canteens – Food delivery and takeaway can remain operational. Cafés or canteens at hospitals, care homes or schools; prison and military canteens; services providing food or drink to the homeless
- Public Houses
- Bars and nightclubs, including bars in hotels or members’ clubs
Retail
- Hair, beauty and nail salons, including piercing and tattoo parlours
- Massage parlours
- Outdoor and indoor markets – except market stalls which offer essential retail, such as grocery and food
- Auctions houses
- Car showrooms
Exceptions – Supermarkets and other food shops, health shops, pharmacies including non- dispensing pharmacies, petrol stations, bicycle shops, home and hardware shops, laundrettes and dry cleaners, bicycle shops, garages, car rentals, pet shops, corner shops, newsagents, post offices, and banks.
Hotels
- Hotels, hostels, BnBs, campsites and boarding houses for commercial use – except where people live in these as interim abodes whilst their primary residence is unavailable they may continue to do so. Key workers can continue to stay in hotels or similar where required
- Caravan parks/sites for commercial uses – except where people live permanently in caravan parks or are staying in caravan parks as interim abodes where their primary residence is not available, they may continue to do so
Non-residential institutions
- Libraries
- Community centres, youth centres and similar – facilities may remain open for the purpose of hosting essential voluntary or public services, such as food banks or homeless services
- Places of worship for services – funerals following the social distancing guidance; places of worship should remain open for solitary prayer. Live streaming of a service without audience would be permissible
- Cinemas, theatres and concert halls – live streaming of a performance by a small group could be permissible with social distancing observed
Assembly and leisure
- Museums and galleries
- Bingo halls, casinos and betting shops Spas
- Skating rinks
- Fitness studios, gyms, swimming pools or other indoor leisure centres
- Arcades, bowling alleys, soft play centres and similar
Outdoor recreation
- Enclosed spaces in parks, including playgrounds, sports courts and pitches, and outdoor gyms or similar
Everyone is instructed to comply with the rules issued by the government in relation to coronavirus, in order to protect both themselves and others.
