Coronavirus: Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces strict new lockdown measures

People in Sussex, and across the UK, will only be allowed to leave their homes for a limited number of reasons, the Prime Minister has said.
Boris Johnson (Photo: Eddie Mulholland - WPA Pool/Getty Images)Boris Johnson (Photo: Eddie Mulholland - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Boris Johnson (Photo: Eddie Mulholland - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

In an address to the nation, Boris Johnson said people could only leave their homes for one of four reasons.

These are: shopping for basic necessities; one form of exercise per day; any medical need or to care for a vulnerable person; or for travel to work if absolutely necessary.

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“These are the only reasons to leave home,” Mr Johnson added.

Police will have the powers to enforce these rules, Mr Johnson said.

Mr Johnson said the coronavirus pandemic is the ‘biggest threat this country has faced for decades’.

He said ‘without a huge national effort’ there will come a moment when no care provider in the world would be able to cope.

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The NHS ‘will be unable to handle it’ if too many people become seriously ill, he added.

Mr Johnson’s statement came as it was announced that 335 people in the UK have died from coronavirus.

“The time has now come for us all to do more,” Mr Johnson said.

People will not be allowed to visit friends or family members who do not live in the same home, the Prime Minister said.

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Residents have been advised to use food delivery services where they can.

All shops selling non essential goods, including food and medical supplies, will be closed.

Mr Johnson said this will include all libraries and places of worship.

Gatherings of more than two people, other than people you live with, will also be banned, Mr Johnson said, while weddings will also be stopped.

Funerals will still take place, he added, while parks will remain open but only for exercise.