After much hesitation, Prime Minister Johnson swings on the course of other European countries and drastically restricts public life in Britain. Critics fear that the pandemic could hit the country harder than Italy.
London (dpa) - The British government has adopted far-reaching exit restrictions in the fight against the corona virus. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced this in a televised speech to the nation.
Johnson instructed his countrymen to leave the house as little as possible. "From this evening on, I have to give the British people a simple order: they have to stay at home," said Johnson. All stores, with the exception of grocery stores and pharmacies, will be closed with immediate effect. Sports activities are only allowed once a day and only together with members of the same household. Otherwise, the house should only be left for essential items such as groceries and medicine and for commuting, Johnson said. Meetings of more than two people are no longer permitted and will be dissolved by the police.
At the weekend, countless Britons had used the nice weather for trips to urban parks and recreation areas - too many to be able to keep the necessary distance. BBC television still showed pictures of crowded London subways on Monday.
The death toll from coronavirus-related lung disease Covid-19 in the UK rose to 335 on Monday. Government critics have long called for sharper measures to contain the outbreak. They fear Britain could be hit harder than Italy if the chronically underfunded National Health Service (NHS) collapses under the weight of the epidemic. But the government has long resisted harsher measures.
