UK enters lockdown

People in the United Kingdom have been ordered to stay at home, in the most severe restrictions on daily life ever imposed in peacetime, to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced the measures in a televised address to the nation on the evening of 23 March.

The rules

People will only be allowed to leave their homes for four reasons: shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible; one form of exercise a day; any medical need or to care for a vulnerable person; and travelling to and from work, but only where it is absolutely necessary.

All shops selling non-essential goods will close, along with libraries, playgrounds, places of worship and community centres. Gatherings of more than two people in public will be banned, except for people who live together.

Weddings and other ceremonies will be stopped, although funerals can go ahead.

The police will have powers to enforce the rules, including through fines.

Why now?

Johnson said the virus was the biggest threat the country had faced for decades, and that without huge national effort, the NHS could be overwhelmed.

So far, 335 people have died in the UK after testing positive for the virus, and the number of cases is rising rapidly.

Schools closed on Friday, except for the children of key workers and vulnerable children, and pubs and restaurants have already been shut.

Review in three weeks

The government says the measures will be reviewed in three weeks, and relaxed if the evidence shows it is possible.

Support

The government has already announced that it will pay up to 80 per cent of the wages of workers who cannot work, and has promised more support for the self-employed.

Supermarkets have introduced limits on items and special hours for older people and NHS staff, after a wave of panic buying.

A national effort

People across the country are being urged to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers have come forward to help the NHS and vulnerable people.

In Birmingham, as elsewhere, community groups are organising help for people who are isolating.

Johnson said: "You must stay at home."