Nation confined to the house as Johnson takes the ultimate step
Without this effort no health service could cope, says Prime Minister, as he sets out lockdown orders
BORIS JOHNSON last night ordered the biggest crackdown on the freedom of the British people to go about their business since the Second World War.
In a plan signed off at a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee, the Prime Minister set out a series of measures that will radically curtail freedom of movement in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus.
People will only be allowed to leave home once a day for exercise and will face fines of £30 if they gather outside in groups of more than two beyond their immediate family.
All churches and places of worship will open only for funerals, while all shops deemed to be non-essential will close. The lockdown will be reviewed every three weeks but is likely to last for months.
Justifying the crackdown, Mr Johnson said: “Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses.
“And as we have seen elsewhere, in other countries that also have fantastic health care systems, that is the moment of real danger.
“To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it – meaning more people are likely to die, not just from coronavirus but from other illnesses as well. So it’s vital to slow the spread of the disease.”
Four reasons to leave home
No one should leave their home unless it is for one of the following reasons: First, going out to the shops to buy necessities such as food or medicines.
Secondly, exercising outdoors once a day, either alone or with a member of the same household. This could include taking a pet for a walk or going for a jog. However, people will not be allowed to do this with anyone with whom they do not live.
Thirdly, if someone has a medical need or if they are providing care or support to a vulnerable person and need to collect medicines for them.
Fourthly, travelling to and from work for those who cannot work from home, such as employees on a list of key workers issued by the Government last week.
Fines for gatherings
The penalties for breaching the lockdown are stark. All gatherings of more than two people outside the home will be banned, except for members of the same household or family.
Workmen will also be allowed to congregate in groups if it allows them to carry out complex works.
Police will be given powers to issue spot fines of £30 to any groups who gather outside in defiance of the lockdown. Ministers are anticipating that these powers will be aimed at dispersing groups of people, and are clear that if the fines are not seen to be enough of a deterrent they will increase.
Government sources said the fines would not initially be targeted at people who broke the rules by leaving home, although this could change over time. The Government will force through Parliament an amendment to the 1984 Public Health Act by the end of this week to ensure that police have the necessary powers to enforce the new lockdown.
Shops shut
The closure of clubs, pubs and cinemas imposed on Friday night will be extended to all non-essential retailers including clothing and electronics shops, hairdressers, bed and breakfast accommodation, as well as markets both indoors and open air. Shops that are
exempt from the ban include food retailers, pharmacies, corner shops, hardware stores, petrol stations, pet shops, shops within hospitals, post offices, banks and newsagents.
Any shops which open in defiance of the ban will be liable for prosecution by trading standards officers.
Throughout yesterday, restaurants and takeaways which would be allowed to remain open under the lockdown took matters in their own hands and closed. Mcdonald’s said it would shut all 1,270 of its restaurants in the UK, while Nando’s also closed its 400 branches “until further notice”. Costa Coffee, the Itsu sushi chain and Subway sandwich shops also planned to close. In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, announced that building sites and hairdressers’ shops should close. She said: “If our National Health Service becomes overwhelmed people will die needlessly. This is about saving lives.”
Only funerals allowed
All places of worship will have to close, apart from when they are needed for funerals.
This means that churches, mosques, temples or synagogues will be banned from carrying out any baptisms, weddings or other ceremonies.
The closure order will also apply to all libraries, as well as commercial outlets within parks such as cafés and kiosks. Outdoor gyms and recreation areas will be padlocked shut by councils but parks themselves will remain open.
Review every three weeks
Mr Johnson and his team are acutely aware that the scale of the restrictions that they are imposing will alarm many people.
The Government made clear last night that the measures would be reviewed every three weeks, although insiders said they were expected to apply for months.
Aides pointed out that the powers were comparable to restrictions imposed on people in Italy, where over 1 the past two days the increase in the number of deaths from the virus has slowed.
Why now?
Mr Johnson and his ministers decided to act after seeing photographs and videos of families enjoying the sunshine over the weekend in parks and at tourist spots.
They felt that these images made clear the public were not responding to the requests to stay indoors voluntarily and so had to act to ensure the NHS could cope with the developing crisis.
More images on social media of commuters squeezed into train cars on the London Underground early yesterday morning merely added to these concerns. However, some pointed out that the commuters had to come to work on trains with a reduced service if their employers were still asking them to do so and would only pay them if they did.
More than 75 per cent of Britons need to socially isolate for the attempt to stop coronavirus overwhelming the NHS. This meant that the only option left was to enforce the lockdown.
Earlier yesterday Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said people who ignored government advice were “very selfish”. “If people go within two metres of others who they don’t live with then they’re helping to spread the virus – and the consequences of that costs lives,” he said.