LOCKDOWN
Mr Johnson has placed the UK on lockdown to tackle the coronavirus, threatening police fines for anyone who ignores new measures including a ban on public gatherings of more than two people.
The Prime Minister detailed a short list of reasons why individuals can leave their homes as he ordered the immediate closure of all shops selling non-essentials items yesterday evening.
He ordered people to only leave the house to shop for basic necessities ‘as infrequently as possible’ and to perform one form of exercise a day.
Or they could seek medical help, provide care to a vulnerable person or travel to work if ‘absolutely necessary’, he said in a televised address from within Downing Street.
‘That’s all – these are the only reasons you should leave your home,’ he said. ‘You should not be meeting friends. If your friends ask you to meet, you should say No. You should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home.
‘If you don’t follow the rules the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings.’
To ensure people follow the rules, Mr Johnson ordered the immediate closure of non-essential stores including those selling electronics and clothing.
All public gatherings of more than two people – other than those they live with – will be barred, the PM said. Other premises being shuttered are libraries, playgrounds, outdoor gyms and places of worship.
The Houses of Parliament at the end of an empty Westminster Bridge with one pedestrian on the pavement this morning
The =concourse surrounding Bristol Temple Meads train station is empty of rush-hour commuters and travelers at 8am today
A small amount of traffic travels on the Blackwall Tunnell Southern Approach on the A102 road south east of London today
The eerie empty streets of Birmingham city centre this morning as only a handful of workers venture out this morning
Empty streets in Liverpool city centre this morning after the country wakes up to tight new restrictions on movement
Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after soldiers delivered medical masks to St Thomas’ Hospital in London today
An empty Princes Street in Edinburgh – one of the city’s main shopping routes – this morning as the UK goes into lockdown
An empty children’s play area on Llandaff Fields in Cardiff, South Wales, this morning as the country goes into lockdown
A group of people relax together on the otherwise empty beach in front of Brighton Pier in East Sussex this morning
An empty classroom at Manor Park School and Nursery in Knutsford, Cheshire, this morning amid the UK lockdown
The M1 motorway near Hendon in North London is almost completely empty today as the spread of coronavirus continues
A view of a quiet M20 motorway near Ashford in Kent today, the day after Prime Minister put the UK in lockdown
A lone person walks through Queens Square in Bristol today which is empty of rush-hour pedestrians at 8.20am today
A sign on the M8 motorway advises motorists to avoid travel where possible in Glasgow, with only one car pictured today
The eerie empty streets of Birmingham city centre this morning, as a few workers venture out amid the lockdown
An empty street near London Victoria train station this morning after Boris Johnson imposed a lockdown across Britain
Bristol Temple Meads train station is empty of rush-hour commuters and other passengers at 8am this morning
An empty Liverpool Pier Head this morning after Boris Johnson put the whole of the UK into a coronavirus lockdown
A lone cyclist in the Roald Dahl Plass public plaza in Cardiff this morning after the lockdown measures were brought in
Empty stairs and escalators at London’s Oxford Street Underground station this morning as the UK goes into lockdown
An empty street and bus stop at St James’s Park in London this morning after the Prime Minister ordered a lockdown
A man stands on an empty escalator during the morning ‘rush hour’ at Kings Cross Underground station in London today
Customers queue to shop at Costco in Thurrock, Essex, today – on the day after the Prime Minister put the UK in lockdown
A couple wearing protective face masks wait with their trolley as people queue outside Costco supermarket in Watford today
Customers queue to shop at Costco in Thurrock, Essex, today as the UK faces lockdown measures to help protect the NHS
People observe social distancing while queuing at a Sainsbury’s supermarket at Colton, on the outskirts of Leeds, early today
Crowds of people walk into a Tesco supermarket in the Gloucestershire market town of Cirencester this morning
People queue today at a Sainsbury’s supermarket at Colton, on the outskirts of Leeds, after the UK was put into lockdown
A view of Lakeside Retail Park in Thurrock, Essex, today the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown
A playground and skate park closed off today at Gadebridge Park in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
People exercise in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, today – the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown
Castle Marina retail park in Nottingham today, on the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown
Flowers blooming at Holland Park in West London as people go out exercising in the beautiful weather