UK Government Announces Further Measures On Social Distancing 

Entertainment and hospitality premises to close temporarily and people urged to only travel if absolutely essential.

To delay the spread of coronavirus, the government has instructed some businesses and venues including all pubs, bars and restaurants to close from tonight.

This follows expert advice that more needs to be done in order to tackle the spread of infection – following  the call  to action to isolate or socially distance.

The closures will help limit the spread of coronavirus by helping to stop non-essential contact and unnecessary travel, in line with the public guidance announced earlier this week.

The measures will be reviewed on a monthly basis, and are being implemented across the whole of the UK in agreement with the devolved administrations. If needed, the government will enforce these measures by law.

This will not affect supermarkets or retailers that supply fuel, medicines and other vital goods, which will continue to be open as normal for the public.  

The following businesses and venues have been asked to close: 

• Food and drink venues for consumption on-site, such as restaurants and cafes.
• Drinking establishments, including pubs, bars, nightclubs.
• Entertainment venues, including cinemas, theatres, concert halls, and bingo halls.
• Museums and galleries.
• Spas and massage parlours.
• Casinos and betting shops.
• All indoor leisure and sports facilities, including gyms.

This measure will not impact the relaxation of planning rules announced earlier this week which will allow pubs and restaurants to operate as hot food takeaways during the coronavirus outbreak, which will help to support people who are staying at home through this period.

The government has also urged the public to take further steps to protect themselves and the wider population from the coronavirus, including:  

• Everyone to stay at home unless they need to get essential supplies such as food and medicines. 
• All those able to work from home to do so, unless their work is essential.  
• Only travelling if absolutely necessary – while public transport won’t stop, this should only be used for essential travel  – for example by key workers to travel to and from work.  

The closures announced today will not impact the running of public transport, and government continues to work closely with transport operators to ensure that people who need to get to work can continue to do so.