'YOU MUST PAY ATTENTION'
Londoners told to work from home and avoid pubs as capital is worst hit by coronavirus and ‘ahead of the curve’
BORIS Johnson has told Londoners to work from home as the capital is gripped by deadly coronavirus.
The Prime Minister said the city, which is the worst-hit part of the UK with 480 cases, is “ahead of the curve” and must adopt “draconian” lockdown measures.
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In a statement this afternoon, Mr Johnson said: “It's now clear that the peak of the epidemic is coming faster in some parts of the country than in others.
"It looks as though London is now a few weeks ahead.
"So to relieve the pressure on the London health system and to slow the spread in London, it's important that Londoners now pay special attention to what we are saying about avoiding non-essential contact and to take particularly seriously the advice of working from home and avoiding confined spaces such as pubs and restaurants."
Mr Johnson added: "We want to ensure that this period of shielding, this period of maximum protection, coincides with the peak of the disease and it is now clear that the peak of the epidemic is coming faster in some parts of the country than in others.
We are asking people to do something difficult and that will disrupt their lives
Boris Johnson
"And it looks as though London is now a few weeks ahead."
In his bombshell address, the PM drastically ramped up Britain's coronavirus battleplan - banning public gatherings, stopping any non-essential travel and telling everyone to work from home if they can.
The number of cases could double every five or six days if Britain didn't take "draconian" action now, he told the country.
"We are asking people to do something difficult and that will disrupt their lives," Mr Johnson admitted.
But he stressed that the most vulnerable were the focus of today's new measures.
Today it was confirmed:
- Britain’s death toll leapt from 36 to 55 today and included Nick Matthews, 59 — the youngest UK victim
- Schools have been told to send kids with a cough home to stop the spread
- Millions of workers stay at home today in ghost town Britain
- Brits could face fines or even jail if they ignore quarantine rules under new emergency laws coming to Parliament this week
- Shoppers are continuing to raid supermarkets for food and supplies - even as officials begged them not to
- Leaked documents say up to 8million could be hospitalised, and the outbreak may last up to a year
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They should not go out of the house - even to buy food or essentials. Exercise is allowed, but only at a safe distance.
From tomorrow, the Government will no longer support mass gatherings either, meaning concerts and all major sporting events are likely to be cancelled.
At the press conference, Mr Johnson said: "We need people to start working from home where they possibly can, and you should avoid clubs pubs, theatres and other such social venues."
The number of cases has spiralled faster than experts thought, prompting the Government to push ahead with measures quickly, he said.
"It looks as though we are approaching the fast growth part of the upward curve," he added.
This morning Transport Secretary Grant Shapps defended the Government's plan - amid criticism that Britain hasn't gone as far as other countries in its bid to tackle the spread.
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Italy, France, Spain, Germany and several other nations have revealed lockdowns of schools and public places, cancelled flights in and out of the country, and shut their borders.
Earlier today the true cost of the coronavirus was laid bare as leaked documents estimated that up to 8million could have to be hospitalised in an outbreak that could last up to a year.
Downing Street stressed it was a worst-case scenario but stressed that "does not mean that is what we expect to happen".
Coronavirus science chief Patrick Vallance explains objectives of new measures
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