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other such social venues.” Schools are not closing at present and old people’s homes are not being completely isolated, although the Government warned people over 70, pregnant women and those with health conditions to be particularly careful not to mix socially.
Johnson added: “We want to ensure this period of shielding, coincides with the peak of the disease and it is now clear the peak of the epidemic is coming faster in some parts of the country than in others.”
The Prime Minister said: “I know we are asking a lot of everyone – far more than washing our hands.”
Johnson followed the lead of Sturgeon and said that from today mass gatherings are something “we are now moving emphatically away from”. Those with underlying health conditions should be “shielded” at home for 12 weeks to keep them safe.
Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, asked people who are over 70, those who would normally have the flu vaccination and women who are pregnant to take “particular care” to minimise their social contact. “This is absolutely critical,” he said.
Whitty warned the UK was “in for the long haul” in facing down coronavirus with a lockdown for weeks or months.
He said: “These measures have to be effective but they also have to be sustainable. This is going to have to be a prolonged period.”
The UK Government is now recommending whole household isolation in the face of coronavirus, in addition to the seven days of isolation individuals should take if they live alone.
From now on, if one person shows signs of a cough or a fever the whole household has to go into isolation for two weeks.
Johnson added: “That means that if possible you should not go out, even to buy food or essentials, other than for exercise and in that case at a safe distance from others.”
The measures are being introduced to take pressure off the NHS as the infection rate is predicted to soar in the next few days and weeks, leaving thousands hospitalised.
Johnson said all four nations