U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced nationwide lockdown measures Friday, telling cafes, bars and restaurants to close.
“We are collectively telling cafes, pubs, bars and restaurants to close tonight as soon as they reasonably can and not to open tomorrow,” Johnson said at a daily briefing on the coronavirus.
He said takeout services for these businesses would be able to continue.
“We are also telling nightclubs, theaters, cinemas, gyms and leisure centers to close on the same timescale.”
“These are places where people come together, and indeed the whole purpose of these businesses in many cases is to bring people together. But, the sad thing is, I’m afraid today, for now at least, physically we need to keep people apart,” Johnson said.
It was not immediately clear whether the recommendations were enforceable by law, although Johnson said licensing laws would allow the government to order these businesses to close.
The prime minister said the newly announced measures would be reviewed on a monthly basis.
To date, the U.K. has reported 3,297 cases of the coronavirus, including 168 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Sterling rose on the news, trading up 1.5% to reach $1.1657 Friday evening London time.