Boris Johnson brought the shutters down on Britain on Monday night, as he announced the closure of all “non-essential shops”, told people to stay at home and warned that the police would enforce tough new measures to stop the spread of coronavirus.
After days of mounting pressure to take tougher action, Mr Johnson said in a televised address to the nation that people should stay in their home unless they had a good reason to leave and that the high street would be largely shut down.
The new measures, which will initially last for three weeks, will bring Britain more closely into line with other European countries as Mr Johnson announced draconian restrictions to stop the rapid spread of the virus.