Johnson Shuts U.K.’s Pubs, Restaurants and Gyms to Fight Virus
U.K.’s Johnson Tells Cafes, Bars to Close Tonight to Fight Virus
(Bloomberg) -- U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs, restaurants and leisure centers across the country to close from Friday night in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I do accept that what we’re doing is extraordinary,” Johnson told reporters in London on Friday. “We’re taking away the ancient inalienable right of the freeborn people of the United Kingdom to go to the pub.”
Bars and restaurants will be allowed to provide take-away food but must not reopen their table areas for service on Saturday, under the crack down. The ban will be reviewed every month to see if any measures can be relaxed.
The prime minister, who has faced criticism for moving too slowly in the early stages of the outbreak, has rapidly ramped up measures this week to contain the virus as the death toll mounted. The disease is spreading fastest in London, according to the government, and nationwide, the death toll more than doubled to 144 between Tuesday and Thursday.
Patchy Effort
But while Londoners were already braced for tougher action, Johnson instead opted to clamp down on socializing across the entire country, where compliance with his request has been patchy, officials said.
Nightclubs, gyms, cinemas, leisure centers, theaters, and betting shops will all be closed from Friday night and are not expected to reopen on Saturday morning. Failure to comply will risk business owners losing their licenses, Johnson’s team said. Shops are not included in the ban.
Such measures are now vital because the National Health Service is facing intense strain, the premier added.
“It’s perfectly obvious when you look at the gradient of the disease that we have a real threat now to our country, to the ability of our NHS to manage it, and unless we get this right, we are going to see thousands of lives lost,” Johnson said. “We need now to stop the velocity of circulation of this disease.”
There are some signs the message is cutting through. Transport for London, which closed 40 underground stations as it encouraged people to leave the network free for key workers, reported on Friday passenger numbers had fallen 70% and are “likely to fall further.”
Not Invincible
But officials said in order to be effective, so-called “social distancing” measures require 75% compliance. Rates are inconsistent across the country and are significantly below this level.
Papers released by the government earlier on Friday outlining the advice ministers have received from behavioral scientists suggest the government may need to keep in place so-called social distancing measures, in which individuals work from home and avoid gatherings, for most of a year.
Johnson urged the public not to go out to the pub for one last drinking session on Friday night. “Please don’t think that you are invincible,” he said. “There is no guarantee that you will get mild symptoms.”
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