British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ramped up the nation’s coronavirus measures on Monday, enforcing a nationwide lockdown after chairing an emergency Cobra committee.
Below are details of the policies Johnson announced, which took effect immediately.
WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO
– People are still allowed to leave their home to shop for basic necessities.
– They can do one form of exercise such as a run, walk or bike ride, per day, and can leave the house to attend to medical needs, including helping a vulnerable person.
– Travelling to and from work is only allowed when “absolutely necessary” and the work cannot be done from home.
– Funerals are allowed.
WHAT PEOPLE CAN’T DO
– People shouldn’t meet up with friends. Johnson said that people should decline any requests from a friend to hang out.
– They also should not meet up with family, except those that live in the same house.
– They should not shop for non-essential items, and should try and limit the number of shopping trips they do.
HOW THE GOVERNMENT WILL ENFORCE IT
Police will have powers to enforce the rules, including through fines and dispersing gatherings.
In addition, Johnson said that the government would immediately:
– shut all shops which sell non-essential goods
– stop all gatherings of more than two people in public unless they live together.
– stop all social events, including weddings and all other ceremonies except funerals.
– parks will stay open for exercise but gatherings within them will be dispersed.
The measures will be under constant review, and they will be looked at again in three weeks.
(Reuters)
