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PUBS TO CLOSE IN WAR ON COVID-19 here her
BORIS Johnson last night ordered a nationwide lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus.
All pubs, bars and restaurants were told to close.
Nightclubs, theatres, cinemas, gyms, and leisure centres must also shut immediately.
But restaurants, pubs and venues will still be allowed to provide takeaway services.
It came amid dismay at revellers going to pubs as the Covid-19 death toll in the UK rose to 177. Many were seen packing bars and clubs across London and cities including Leeds.
The Prime Minister said: “You’re not only putting your own life and the lives of your family at risk, you’re endangering the community and you’re making it more difficult to protect the NHS and save lives.”
Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin backed down after saying his pubs would stay open “for the duration”. Last night the pub chain pledged to comply with the PM’S demand.
Nik Antona, chairman of the Campaign for Real Ale, praised the Government’s “decisive leadership” but called for beer duty to be “deferred”.
The head of the World Health Organisation sent out a warning to complacent younger people.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told them: “You are not invincible. This virus could put you in hospital for weeks or even kill you. The choices you make about where you go could be the difference between life and death for someone else.”
Meanwhile Italy’s death toll leapt by 627 to 4,032 yesterday.
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AROUND 1.4million people classed as vulnerable will be told by the NHS they need to self-isolate.
They will be urged to shield themselves from social contact.
Health chiefs will send letters to the atrisk group, which includes anyone with underlying health conditions and those with weakened immune systems, outlining specific actions they need to take. The over-70s are also urged to be “stringent” in taking social distancing steps.
The advice follows warnings that 10% of Covid-19 victims are infected by someone who does not have any symptoms.
Tory MP Maria Caulfield, a former nurse, has announced she is returning to the NHS to join the battle against the virus.