The government today scolded ‘shameful’ panic-buyers and pleaded with the frenzied shoppers to consider more vulnerable people before emptying the nation’s supermarkets.
The coronavirus death toll in the UK has hit 233 as a further 53 people died in England alone in the worst 24 hours yet.
Environment Secretary George Eustice told people to ‘calm down’ and claimed there is ‘more than enough food to go around’.
But he said that many Britons, including frontline NHS staff, were being deprived because of a sharp upswing in stockpiling.
Speaking at the latest daily press briefing from Downing Street this afternoon, he said: ‘We recognise that this is a challenging time and there are many things the government is asking the nation to do differently as we work together to fight this pandemic.
‘Be responsible when you shop and think of others. Buying more than you need means others may be left without.’
Mr Eustice was flanked by British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson and NHS England national medical director Stephen Powis, who condemned the selfishness and said: ‘Frankly we should all be ashamed.’
The health chief made his admonishment as he pointed to a viral video of female health worker Dawn Bilbrough, 51, who broke down in tears after faced with rows of bare shelves following an exhausting shift.
Ms Dickinson laid bare the sheer tonnage of food which has flown off the shelves in recent weeks when she revealed: ‘There is a billion pounds more food in people’s houses than there was three weeks ago, so we should make sure we eat some of it.’
The government’s call to exercise restraint came as hordes of shoppers descended on supermarkets at the crack of dawn this morning in a desperate bid to stock up after weeks of coronavirus panic-buying cleared food aisles across the country.
Staggering scenes saw a queue of hundreds of people snake round a Tesco car park at 6am, and even spill out on to the streets of New Malden, London.
Since the pandemic tightened its choke-hold on the UK, fears of an imminent lockdown have fanned mass stockpiling as people brace to hunker down at home.
Many with COVID-19 symptoms are already self-isolating and, asked about possible military involvement in the supply chain to safeguard food for these people, Mr Eustice said: ‘We are obviously giving increasing thought within government over how we will protect those who may be self-isolating because they are vulnerable and I know more will be said about this in due course.’
He also revealed manufacturers were producing 50 per cent more stock to match demand, and revealed that said that talks were ongoing with supermarkets to ensure that food banks were able to retain stock in order to help vulnerable people.
The first Number 10 press conference without Boris Johnson, who has taken the reins on the government’s response to the outbreak, came as the infection rate surpassed 4,000 and the death toll hit 180.
Eighty-nine more people tested positive for the virus in Wales, bringing the number of cases to 280. Two more people also died, a 75-year-old and a 98-year-old who both had underlying health conditions.
Scotland’s deaths jumped from six to seven, and the number of patients rose by 51 to 373.
Environment Secretary George Eustice (flanked by British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson and NHS England national medical director Stephen Powis) told people to ‘calm down’ and claimed there is ‘more than enough food to go around’
Since the pandemic tightened its choke-hold on the UK, fears of an imminent lockdown have fanned mass stockpiling as people brace to hunker down at home
Staggering scenes saw a queue of hundreds of people snake round a Tesco car park at 6am, and even spill out on to the streets of New Malden, London
NHS England national medical director Stephen Powis (left) condemned the selfishness: ‘Frankly we should all be ashamed.’ The health chief made his admonishing remarks as he pointed to a viral video of female health worker Dawn Bilbrough, 51, (right) who broke down in tears after faced with rows of bare shelves following an exhausting shift
People queuing up outside Sainsburys in Guildford despite multiple warnings from the government about the harms of panic buying
As the government doubled down its efforts to curb panic-buying:
- High streets and shopping centres were deserted as Britons adjusted to locked-down life;
- The NHS struck a deal with private hospitals for 20,000 extra staff, 8,000 beds and 1,200 ventilators;
- Rishi Sunak’s promise to underwrite 80 per cent of employees’ wages was estimated to cost £10billion in three months if just 10 per cent of the workforce signed up to the scheme;
- Almost a billion people worldwide are now confined to their homes;
- A London barista, 28, died from malaria after failing to get through to coronavirus-overloaded 111 call centre;
- A doctor slammed the government for not providing adequate protective gear for NHS staff, who were being ‘coughed on’ in busy shifts;
- Supermarkets’ schemes to allow the elderly and NHS workers into the shop early was picked apart by a medic who said it mixed society’s most vulnerable and the most prone to infection;
- The government drew up plans to buy shares in ailing British Airways;
- Spain announced 324 new coronavirus deaths as the number of cases rose to 24,926;
- Government scientists warned social distancing measures of some kind might last for most of the year.
Previous pleas from the government and retailers to steer clear of panic-buying has largely fallen on deaf ears.
Individual stores have already taken action to curb the number of products people could buy, while police and private security were even drafted in to stamp out ransacking of high-demand items such as toilet roll.
But still heartbreaking scenes of elderly people and exhausted frontline NHS staff standing helplessly beside empty shelves have continued to flood social media.
This prompted chains including Sainsbury’s and M&S to set aside a golden hour where they can buy essentials before the masses stampede the store.
Boris Johnson was today speaking to supermarket bosses about efforts to keep supplies flowing after yesterday drastically ramped up measures to stem the spread of the deadly infection.
But he did take time out of his schedule to write to a little girl from Stubbington, Hampshire, who had her birthday party cancelled amid social distancing guidelines.
In an unprecedented peacetime move the Prime Minister yesterday ordered all pubs, restaurants, clubs, gyms and cinemas and theatres to close.
As people prepare to retreat indoors, they also appear to be stocking up on booze, with wine, beer and spirits flying off the shelves in supermarkets today.
People queuing up outside Tescos in Aldershot, a day after the Chancellor unveiled an emergency package aimed at protecting workers’ jobs and wages as they face hardship in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic
In an unprecedented peacetime move the Prime Minister yesterday ordered all pubs, restaurants, clubs, gyms and cinemas and theatres to close
High streets and shopping centres were deserted as Britons adjusted to locked-down life
Many flouted government advice and last night enjoyed one last trip to the pub, with people drinking up across the country.
But at today’s press briefing, Mr Powis blasted these revellers and said it was ‘absolutely crucial’ that ‘everybody’ followed advice on reducing social contact.
He said: ‘It’s not for somebody else to follow, it’s for you to follow, it’s for me to follow, it’s for everybody to follow.
‘This is all our problem and if we do it together, it will be an effective strategy. If you do it, you follow the advice, you will be saving somebody’s life.
‘This is the time in your lifetime whereby your action can save somebody’s life. It is as simple and as stark as that.’
As desperate shoppers flocked to the supermarket in their droves:
A Marks & Spencer shop in Cribbs Causeway, Bristol, was among the first shops to call in police to help ensure older shoppers could use the hour set aside for them.
Asda and Aldi have hired a sports security firm, Showsec, to protect against selfish panic buyers.
And some other 118 major stores across the UK have also requested to protection from customers who openly flout governmental advice to stop cramming their trollies.
The staff, who are usually escorting boxers to the ring, have been employed to work from 5am to midday.
One Shosec worker told The Sun: ‘They cannot handle the trouble. They’re calling us in to try and get some order back but it’s going to be a mammoth task.’
Supermarkets are desperately trying to keep up with the demand in order to prevent the elderly and NHS staff and emergency workers from having to go without as a result of other selfish shoppers.
Tesco is even hiring 20,000 shelf stackers on 12-week contracts, while Aldi is aiming for 9,000 and Asda for 5,000.
Most supermarkets have started limiting purchases and are trying to get shoppers down to just two or three items of food, toiletries and cleaning products.
Waitrose has started a £1million community support fund to make sure essential items are delivered to care homes.
And others have taken measures to allow NHS staff priority access after an emotional video of a crying care nurse tugged on the nations heart strings a few days ago.
Dawn Bilbrough, 51, from York, had just completed a 48-hour shift before visiting her supermarket to pick up basic food items for the next two days when she was left having a ‘little cry’.
After discovering there were no fruit and vegetables for her to sustain a healthy living amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the healthcare worker made a tearful plea to the public urging them to ‘just stop it’.
The nurse took to Facebook from the seat of her car to tell the nation: ‘So I’ve just come out the supermarket. There’s no fruit and veg and I had a little cry in there.’
‘I’m a critical care nurse and I’ve just finished 48 hours of work and I just wanted to get some stuff in for the next 48 hours.
‘There’s no fruit, there’s no vegetables and I just don’t know how I’m supposed to stay healthy.
People queuing up outside Sainsburys in Guildford just two days after the Prime Minister encouraged people to stop panic buying
A sign for customers on entering Tescos in Aldershot telling them there is a limit of three items of any same product and a limit of one toilet roll per customer
A huge queue of people is seen snaking round the carpark of an Asda in Middlesex while people continue to panic buy amid the coronavirus pandemic
‘Those people who are just stripping the shelves have basic foods you just need to stop it because it’s people like me that are going to be looking after you when you are at your lowest and just stop it please!’
NHS workers can visit large Tesco stores an hour before the usual opening time every Sunday from tomorrow.
And Marks & Spencer is now dedicating the first hour on Tuesdays and Fridays to emergency workers and the first hour on Mondays and Thursdays will be dedicated to elderly and vulnerable customers.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) wrote to store chiefs suggesting the urgent measures.
Chief nursing officer for England, Ruth May, said: ‘We’re asking all supermarkets to allow all of our healthcare workers easy access to buy their food and vegetables.’
The RCN urged supermarkets to provide priority access to people working in health and care — and to hold back certain items such as toilet paper for all nursing staff.
The HCSA, the hospital doctors’ union, has asked supermarkets to allow medical staff to place orders that they can collect later when they are off shift.
Susan Maple, aged 77, wiped back tears as she waited outside an Iceland store in Harborne, Birmingham.
She was trying to buy supplies for her 90-year-old neighbour who ‘can’t get out’.
Fellow shopper John Merrill, 76, said: ‘I’ve got some things here which I couldn’t get earlier like margarine and toilet rolls. People don’t need to stockpile, it’s just stupid.’
Social media users have been heaping scorn on shoppers who are taking more than their fair share of precious groceries using the hashtag #stophoarding – calling on their countrymen to be considerate and take only what they need.
Shoppers were faced with empty shelves in Tesco, Cambridge, on Friday morning when supplies were cleared before they had a chance to buy during their ‘Pensioners’ Hour’
Eager shoppers queue outside a Sainsbury’s supermarket in Kenton, London before it opens at 7am on March 20
Hoards of panicked shoppers are seen queuing outside a Tesco in Sidcup, Kent, this morning despite warnings from the government that stockpiling essentials will leave vulnerable customers without
More shoppers are seen outside a Tesco in Sidcup during coronavirus pandemic panic
Sainsbury’s said from next week health and social care staff will be able to shop between 8am and 9am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, alongside elderly and vulnerable shoppers.
It is also consolidating its opening hours in its main stores from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday, in order to be able focus on restocking shelves. Sunday opening, Sainsbury’s Local and petrol station opening times will stay the same.
Chief executive Mike Coupe urged customers to take simple measures to reduce risk by standing one metre away from each other and consider paying with card instead of cash.
‘Please also treat our colleagues and other customers with kindness and respect,’ he said.
‘These are unprecedented circumstances and our colleagues are being asked to come to work every day while so many others are being asked to stay at home.
‘We all need them to keep coming to work to feed the nation – a small thank you goes a really long way.’
Meanwhile, Morrisons is taking on up to 500 staff from Marie Curie and CLIC Sargent charity shops to help the elderly and vulnerable in its supermarkets.
They will be working alongside Morrisons’ army of community champions who currently work with local charities and community groups.
The Co-op is donating £1.5 million of essential food items to charity FareShare’s network of food banks and community groups.
And to thank NHS workers and community groups for their hard work, Lidl is giving away thousands of bunches of Mother’s Day flowers.
It is hoped that easing the restrictions on the haulage industry will help to keep supplies moving and the supermarkets fully stocked as the panic buying shows no signs of waning.
Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett said: ‘This is a blanket relaxation covering all sectors and recognises how integrated and inter-dependent supply chains are across the whole economy. The sector is working as efficiently and as quickly possible.
‘This relaxation improves resilience in a way that ensure all goods can reach the area where they are needed.
‘Shortages are not the problem at the moment – the problem lies with supplying the current excess demand for goods caused by panic buying. This just creates bottlenecks that undermine efficient delivery schedules.
‘The relaxation in hours will not reduce the levels of enforcement of the drivers’ hours.
‘It is vital that companies only use these relaxed rules when needed and companies must monitor drivers to ensure they do not drive tired or in any way unfit. This relaxation must be used wisely, not abused recklessly.’
Mr Burnett said the relaxation was introduced following a meeting between the RHA and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
Drinkers enjoy a final pint and start panic-buying alcohol before UK-WIDE pub lockdown as Boris Johnson shuts cafes, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres as coronavirus crisis claims 177 lives across Britain
Drinkers across the country enjoyed a final pint and panic-bought alcohol from supermarkets last night after Boris Johnson ordered that all pubs in the UK will close today in a dramatic lockdown to slow the spread of coronavirus.
The Prime Minister told his daily press conference that social premises that also include theatres, cinemas, gyms and sports centres must close ‘as soon as they reasonably can and not to reopen tomorrow’.
Revellers ignored the government’s advice on social distancing as they danced the night away despite the coronavirus death toll rising by 40 on Friday to 177, with almost 4,000 infected, although the real figure is believed to be greater than 10,000.
A sombre-looking PM said that measures outlined on Monday for people to voluntarily self-isolate now had to go further as he ordered premises to close their doors for an initial 14 days, after which it will be reviewed.
‘We’re taking away the ancient, inalienable right of free-born people of the United Kingdom to go to the pub, and I can understand how people feel about that,’ Mr Johnson said.
The Prime Minister’s words were beamed out to revellers throughout Britain who had headed to the pub after a week at work, while others rushed to the supermarket to stock up on booze.
Meanwhile others were toasting Chancellor Rishi Sunak after he announced that the government will cover 80 per cent of salaries up to £2,500 each month, with workers staying on the books, and there will be no limit on the total cost.
The scheme will be up and running by April 1 and be backdated to the start of the chaos.
Experts forecast that Mr Sunak’s intervention could save 800,000 jobs in Britain’s workforce for when the country eventually emerges through the health emergency.
London and its nine-million population is ahead of the curve on coronavirus infections, according to scientists, but social media has been awash with pictures showing bars bursting at the seams with people seemingly indifferent to the risk in the capital.
Experts warned that Boris Johnson’s coronavirus plan could fail and leave the NHS on the brink unless at least half the public obey self-isolation and ‘social distancing’ rules.
A swathe of newly-released evidence presented to ministers suggests that the fate of the PM’s plan rests on convincing enough people to fall into line.
Make mine a double! Patrons were seen dancing at the Lord Stamford public house in Stalybridge on Friday night after the Prime Minister announced the unprecedented move to close all pubs to stop the spread of the coronavirus
Revellers tonight appeared to flout the government advice on ‘social distancing’ as they enjoyed themselves outside O’Neills pub in Clapham, London, ahead of the pub ban coming into force tomorrow
A bar manager at the White Hart Pub in Ironbridge, Shropshire closes the bar at the final bell on Friday night after the Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that all pubs were to remain closed from tomorrow in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus
A customer in The Cambrian Tap on St Mary Street, Cardiff after Boris Johnson announces that all pubs and bars must close tonight
As the UK death toll rose by 33 to 177 and total cases hit 3,983:
- Government scientists warned social distancing measures of some kind might last for most of the year;
- The export of paracetamol and other crucial medicines was banned;
- A critical incident was declared at Northwick Park hospital in London as it warned it could no longer treat virus victims. It was later lifted;
- Panic buying continued at supermarkets, with many forced to introduce measures to ensure emergency workers could still get food;
- Headteachers warned schools would struggle to cope with looking after children of key workers;
- Children were told to avoid team sport and ride bikes two yards apart;
- GCSE and A-level grades will be based on teacher assessments;
- Rail services will be reduced by as much as 50 per cent and the Tube limited to essential workers;
- A man on the Isle of Man became the first to be arrested for failing to self-isolate;
- Jaguar Land Rover halted UK production and a report warned 700,000 UK workers could lose their jobs;
- The global death toll passed 10,000 and Italy had 627 more fatalities;
- The World Health Organisation warned young adults they were ‘not invincible’ and can die from the virus.
The extraordinary closure of leisure and hospitality venues, which does not include shops, came into effect at closing time last night. Restaurants, bars and cafes will be allowed to remain open as takeaways.
The restrictions will be reviewed on a monthly basis. Mr Johnson warned those going out could become ‘vectors of the disease for older relatives with potentially fatal consequences’.
Yesterday, Mr Johnson told the daily live broadcast from Downing Street: ‘You may be tempted to go out tonight and I say to you please don’t, you may think that you are invincible – but there is no guarantee that you will get it.
‘But you can still be a carrier of the disease and pass it on.’
He added: ‘I do accept that what we’re doing is extraordinary – we’re taking away the ancient inalienable right of freeborn people of the United Kingdom to go to the pub.
‘And I can understand how people feel about that.
‘But I say to people who do go against the advice that we’re getting, the very clear advice that we’re getting from our medical and scientific experts, you know you’re not only putting your own life, the lives of your family, at risk – you’re endangering the community.
‘And you’re making it more difficult for us to get on and protect the NHS and save lives.
‘And if you comply, if people comply as I say, then we will not only save lives, thousands of lives, but we’ll come out of this thing all the faster.’
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth tweeted: ‘We welcome Boris Johnson’s decision to shut pubs, restaurants & other venues.
‘We have been increasingly concerned that the social distancing measures needed were not being followed which is why we called for this earlier. We all have to adjust our behaviour to defeat this virus.’
Patrons at the Lord Stamford pub on Friday night made the most of their last opportunity to knock back drinks after the government said pubs were to be shuttered to stop the spread of the deadly contagion
Revellers drinking at the Globe pub in Borough Market on Friday night as Boris Johnson announced: ‘I do accept that what we’re doing is extraordinary: we’re taking away the ancient, inalienable right of free-born people of the United Kingdom to go to the pub, and I can understand how people feel about that … It’s a huge wrench.’
Revellers sip on drinks at a pub in Newcastle tonight after Boris Johnson’s pub ban was announced, it is to come into force tomorrow, so people were making the most of their chance to knock a drink back
Pub-goers in the Red Lion in Westminster watch as Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces that they are telling pubs, bars, cafes, theatres, and leisure centre to close in order to tackle the spread of the Coronavirus
Boris Johnson speaks at a Downing Street press conference last night where he announced an effective shutdown of pubs, restaurants, cafes, gyms, cinemas, leisure centres and theatres
Meanwhile there was widespread furious criticism of Tim Martin, the multi-millionaire Wetherspoon boss, for saying he intended to keeping his chain open, downplaying the risks to health.
The Conservative Party donor and boozer chain figurehead said yesterday, before the shutdown was announced, closing pubs was ‘over the top’ despite warnings from the government’s chief scientific adviser that bars are a breeding ground for the deadly virus.
Mr Martin told the BBC that a ‘sensible balance’ was for pubs to implement ‘social distancing’ measures, like no standing at the bar, using cards and sitting at separate tables.
In response to Mr Martin’s comments, the Prime Minister’s deputy official spokesman simply said the government has, ‘been clear about the importance of social distancing’.
Asked if he was nervous about criticising political supporters of Mr Johnson, the spokesman said: ‘We’ve based all our decisions on the best scientific evidence and we will continue to do so.’
The PM this week was met with anger from the hospitality industry as he told people not to visit pubs, clubs and cafes – but stopped short of closing them, meaning venues are losing footfall and cannot claim insurance.
Meanwhile, foolhardy revellers continue to flock to pubs and clubs across the country as they ignore calls urging social distancing to prevent the spread of the disease.
Mr Martin told Sky: ‘Supermarkets are very, very crowded. Pubs are much less crowded. There’s hardly been any transmission of the virus within pubs and I think it’s over the top to shut them.
‘That’s a commercial view but also a common sense view.’
He sparked further outrage as he told Sky that ‘supermarkets posed more of a danger than pubs’.
Jimmy Birch, 35, who was enjoying a beer in Surrey Docks, London, lined up behind the Wetherspoons chairman and said: ‘I don’t see the point of closing down pubs.
‘There are people travelling in closer proximity on the London underground so surely there is more danger of spreading the virus that way.
‘People need places to go after work and particularly on a Friday evening. I think closing places down is taking it too far when the tube is still running and people are closer to each other.’
Mr Birch and his drinking pal Steven Parry, 34, who are tunnellers working on a sewage project in London, popped into the Surrey Docks pub at Rotherhithe not knowing this would be their last public house visit for some time.
Staff wear face masks at Mussel & Steak restaurant on Friday in Edinburgh. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the country’s bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes must close tonight to curb the spread of COVID-19, which has killed more than 100 people in the UK
The Rose pub, near London bridge is closed and has a message on the door telling revellers that the venue will be closed for the ‘foreseeable future’
CEO Tim Martin, pictured here with the Prime Minister last July, said yesterday that closing pubs was ‘over the top’ in spite of warnings from the government’s chief scientific adviser that bars are a breeding ground for the deadly virus
Twitter users last night slammed people they had seen across Britain ignoring pleas to stay at home and help control the spread of coronavirus
Startling new data released on Wednesday night shows 29 percent of the first 2,500 cases of coronavirus in America were people between the ages of 20 and 44.
Of that number, 20 percent were hospitalised and 12 percent put in intensive care units. Some 55 percent of the cases were all under the age of 65.
Social media users have criticised Mr Martin’s ‘grossly irresponsible’ stance and for ‘putting money before health’.
The hashtag, ‘#BoycottWetherspoons’ is now trending on Twitter.
Many have urged him to use his platform in the same way as celebrities including Kylie Jenner, who has encouraged youngsters to stay at home.
Labour MP David Lammy yesterday tweeted: ‘Yesterday the government’s Chief Scientific Adviser said ‘mixing in pubs and restaurants needs to stop’.
‘Today the government is refusing to condemn Weatherspoon’s owner Tim Martin for suggesting the opposite. Confusing messages will cost lives. Pubs and restaurants must close.’
Mr Martin yesterday said falling sales at the chain have dropped further after Prime Minister Boris Johnson told punters to stay at home and not visit Britain’s pubs.
The pub chain said that sales, which had risen by 3.2 per cent in the previous six weeks, started falling by 4.5% in the week ending March 15, as the coronavirus pandemic scared customers off.
The decline picked up even further when the Prime Minister told people that it was vital they do not visit pubs in order to slow the spread of the highly infectious disease.
But despite warnings from the government’s chief scientific adviser urging young people to stop going to the pub, he refused to close his bars, sparking anger among many.
He told Sky: ‘Our aim is for pubs open for the duration. This could go on for a long time. I think that once you shut them down it’s very difficult.’
Asked about Mr Martin’s decision to keep his pubs open, the Prime Minister’s deputy official spokesman said: ‘We have been clear throughout that every decision that has been made, and will be made, has been made based on the best scientific advice.
‘That will continue – we have heard the chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser talk about social distancing and we will continue to act on scientific advice.
‘We have been clear about the need for social distancing. We have asked the public to do what they have to do, and we have been clear on the reasons for doing that.’
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said ‘liberties and human rights need to be changed, curtailed, infringed’ in order to protect people and prevent further coronavirus deaths.
He threatened to ban people from going to the pub and cafés in his stark address to the London Assembly last night.
Britain’s Chief Medical Officer, meanwhile, has warned young adults they will not ‘breeze through’ coronavirus.
Chris Whitty said: ‘It is clear that children get this disease much less strongly than adults, I think the data on that is pretty strong now, and it certainly is the case that the majority of those that end up dying sadly are people who tend to be either in the later part of their lives, usually quite elderly, or those with pre-existing health conditions.
‘But there are also some young people who have ended up in intensive care or who have ended up with severe disease around the world.
‘I think it’s important that we don’t give the impression that every single person who is young and healthy is just going to breeze through this.’
And the government’s chief scientific adviser begged young people to stop going to the pub and claims the UK cannot beat coronavirus if they keep flouting home confinement rules.
Sir Patrick Vallance slammed young people’s complacency and said ‘mixing’ in bars and restaurants ‘needs to stop’ because it is allowing the disease run rampant.
Sir Vallance warned a coronavirus vaccine was still at least six months away and said the only way the outbreak could be delayed until then was if everyone stuck to the Government’s tough new social restrictions.
His plea came after Britons were filmed partying into the early hours in packed pubs and nightclubs around the country this week, defying ministers.
Social media users slammed drinkers pictured last night out and about in Leeds.
Jeremiah Hyde wrote: ‘Shocking isn’t it!? Some London pubs are packed. Dangerous irresponsible idiocy.’
Another, @Etherea68347170, added: ‘People aren’t exercising social distancing, bars are packed! Please Boris, for the love of God… and your people… shut the pubs!’
Will Saville commented: ‘People are so stupid going into pubs, clubs, gyms. So selfish when the NHS are warning people against social contact yet people are quite happy to be packed into one place.’
People out on Friday evening drinking in bars in Newcastle city centre as the announcement is made all bars and clubs will shut at midnight tonight due to covid-19
People relax outside a pub in Newcastle this evening after Mr Johnson made the unprecedented decision to close Britain’s pubs
On Monday, Boris Johnson ordered the country to avoid socialising, going to work or using public transport indefinitely in a desperate bid to contain the escalating crisis.
So far the highly contagious coronavirus has officially killed at least 137 people in the UK and infected 2,695. Experts estimate the true number of infections to be over 80,000.
Sir Patrick told the briefing organised by the respected Science Media Centre: ‘It’s really important… unless everybody looks at the measures that have been introduced by the Government on trying to encourage social distancing, unless everybody does that, it doesn’t have the effect.
‘What we absolutely shouldn’t encourage is the idea that young people can somehow ignore it [social distancing] because they’re going to be fine [if they catch it].
‘The mixing in pubs and restaurants is really part of allowing the disease to spread. It needs to stop among young people – as well as older people.’
At the same press briefing, Britain’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty, also urged young people not to get complacent about catching the virus.
He admitted it was mostly older people and those with chronic conditions, but pointed to a small number of young people who’ve ended up in intensive care.
Professor Whitty said: ‘It is clear that children get this disease much less strongly than adults, I think the data on that is pretty strong now, and it certainly is the case that the majority of those that end up dying sadly are people who tend to be either in the later part of their lives, usually quite elderly, or those with pre-existing health conditions.
‘But there are also some young people who have ended up in intensive care or who have ended up with severe disease around the world.
‘I think it’s important that we don’t give the impression that every single person who is young and healthy is just going to breeze through this.’
He added the ‘great majority’ of people will suffer no symptoms or mild to moderate symptoms, but a very small proportion of young people ‘will have severe disease even though they are young and healthy’.
Professor Whitty continued: ‘It’s important we’re clear in not trying to say ‘really, really worry’, but we also need to be clear in saying this is not a trivial infection for everybody, even if they are a young adult.’
The CMO admitted there were ‘significant health and social downsides’ to strict social distancing measures, which discouraged the Government from implementing them sooner.
Ministers’ original ‘contain and delay’ strategy was given the green light because the downsides of social restrictions did not outweigh the upsides, he added.
But Professor Whitty said that the crisis had now escalated so much that the consensus had changed.
When asked about long-term strategy he added: ‘Clearly a vaccine is one way out of this but we don’t expect that to happen quickly. Globally… science will help us over time.’
Professor Whitty and Sir Patrick agreed that a vaccine would not ‘come to the rescue’ in six months, and it was likely to take far longer.
Professor Whitty said: ‘However much we would like there to be a vaccine riding to the rescue in six months time.
‘Currently, we think that’s improbable. So now we’ve got to work on a different theoretical framework for actually managing this epidemic.’
In a bid to delay the peak until then, ministers are mulling a decision to put London into total lockdown within days.
Some 20,000 troops were put on standby overnight and the Prime Minister refused to rule out the possibility of ‘further and faster measures’ to control the spread of the virus on the busy streets of the capital, where the epidemic is running ahead of the rest of the country.
Mr Johnson said ‘ruthless’ enforcement of so-called social distancing measures – such as working from home and avoiding social gatherings in pubs, cinemas and restaurants – was needed.
Professor Whitty added that eradicating the disease in a matter of months war near-impossible.
He said: ‘It is our judgement, and it is my judgement certainly, if you look around the world, the idea that we’re going to put this virus back to going away and completely whilst not theoretically impossible, seems so improbable that based on scientific theory that is something we are trying to do. Seems to me a mistake.’
Professor Whitty said normal public health responses to a disease, like those used to isolate ebola in West Africa were no longer likely to be effective against what was now a global pandemic virus.
He said those tools such as containing and isolating infected people might work for some countries but the stage of the epidemic in the UK had gone beyond that position.
When asked about different strains of the virus, Professor Whitty said ‘with a strong caveat of scientific speculation’ that it was expected to mutate.
He said there was a chance that the virus could mutate ‘around the vaccine’, but that some mutations could be ‘actually useful’.
‘Smaller mutations… help to track family trees of the virus,’ said Prof Whitty, adding that this would help scientists to understand and tackle the disease.
Sir Patrick added that the UK was ‘absolutely world-class’ in addressing viral mutations.
Professor Whitty also warned that Britons will die both directly and indirectly during the epidemic.
He said: ‘People die in these epidemics… for two reasons. They die directly of the infection, unavoidably, best medical care, sadly this is still going to happen for some people.
‘But also they can die because the health service they are in is overwhelmed and therefore there’s an indirect death because there’s a difference between what could happen with health and what we were able to provide in this situation.’
On reducing the peak of the infection, he added: ‘It has an additional advantage, if you let an epidemic run its full course you get what’s called overshoot where more people get infected than you would need if it were to run at a lower peak.
‘Actually by lowering the peak you reduce the overall number of people who will get the infection.’
Boarded up Britain: Body blow for businesses as pubs, cafes and restaurants forced to shut
By Larisa Brown for the Daily Mail
Pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants were forced to close last night in an unprecedented move that will change the face of the high street.
Boris Johnson also told theatres, cinemas, gyms, leisure centres, betting shops, casinos and nightclubs to shut indefinitely to save thousands of lives.
Licensed premises that fail to comply could have their licences revoked in the crackdown on social gatherings.
However, many shops, supermarkets, newsagents, department stores, dry cleaners, hairdressers, pharmacies and post offices can remain open – and bars, cafes and restaurants will still be able to provide takeaway services.
Announcing the seismic changes, Boris Johnson said: ‘We are telling cafes, bars and restaurants to close tonight as soon as they reasonably can and not to open tomorrow.
‘We’re also telling nightclubs, theatres, cinemas, gyms and leisure centres to close on the same timescale.
‘These are places where people come together. Indeed, the whole purpose is to bring people together. The sad thing is, for now, at least physically, we need to keep people apart.
‘If people comply, then we will not only save lives – thousands of lives – but we’ll come out of this thing all the faster.’
Mr Johnson said 75 per cent of the population needed to remain indoors for there to be a beneficial effect. But his spokesman said that target had not been reached yesterday, despite the public being urged to avoid social gatherings.
Instead, photographs emerged of revellers flouting pleas to stay at home by partying in nightclubs across London, which has been hit hard by the virus.
Asked how the ban would be policed, the PM said it would be enforced ‘strictly’, if necessary through licensing rules.
‘Clearly there are licensing arrangements which will make it relatively simple to do should that really be necessary,’ he said.
He said people had already made a ‘huge effort to comply’ with social-distancing policies to halt the spread of the disease and there had been a ‘big reduction’ in the number of pub-goers.
But he warned it was ‘becoming clear in order to drive that curve down, to reduce social gathering, we need to be making absolutely clear that we are going to enforce these closures’. However, No10 said there was no suggestion that the police would be drafted in. Mr Johnson said he believed everyone would see the ‘imperative in protecting the NHS and saving lives’ and do what was needed.
Pub and nightclub owners were told to shut their doors as soon as possible last night, with all of them expected to be closed by today.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the measures would be in place for 14 days, after which they would be reviewed so their effectiveness could be reviewed. Mr Johnson added: ‘Some people may, of course, be tempted to go out tonight, and I say to those people, ‘Please don’t’.’
He said he wanted people to stay at home where possible, and warned those going out that they could become ‘vectors of the disease for older relatives, with potentially fatal consequences’.
However, he accepted that what he was asking of the British public was extraordinary, adding: ‘We are taking away the ancient, inalienable right of the free-born people of the United Kingdom to go to the pub – and I can understand how people feel about that.
‘But I say to people who do go against the advice that we are getting from our medical and scientific experts that you are not only putting your own life and the lives of your family at risk, but you are endangering the community and you are making it more difficult for us to get on and protect people’s lives and the NHS.’ Asked whether closing pubs and bars would encourage people to have parties at home instead, he said: ‘Obviously, we cannot forbid every form of socialising. Of course we are not doing that.
‘What we are saying is, the risk is that they will become vectors of the disease for older relatives with potentially fatal consequences.’
Nik Antona, chairman of the Campaign for Real Ale, said: ‘Whilst the pubs industry will be devastated by the decision to force closure, it is exactly the type of decisive leadership that has been called for this week as many pubs hung in limbo.
‘Pubs and the wider hospitality industry now have clear instruction that closing their doors is the right thing to do, and the confidence that the Government will support their staff and business.’
Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England, said children who aren’t in school should also reduce social contact. She added: ‘The basic strand through all these measures is about social distancing and reducing our social interactions.
‘We are not saying don’t go outside, but go in a way that reduces your social contact.
‘Two metres apart for a bike ride with a buddy is fine.’
Latest coronavirus video news, views and expert advice at mailplus.co.uk/coronavirus
Liquor is the new loo roll! Alcohol replaces toilet paper as the number one must-have for panic-buyers after Boris Johnson closed pubs and restaurants in fight against coronavirus
Alcohol aisles are now being stripped bare by panic buyers after Boris Johnson closed pubs and restaurants in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Boozy tipples have replaced toilet paper as the number one must-have product for customers who are continuing to go on frenzied shopping sprees despite warnings from the government to stop panic buying amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The alcohol aisles in a Tesco in Hartlepool were noticeably stark this morning after the Prime Minister ordered the closure of all pubs, restaurants and cafes yesterday.
And shoppers across the country have noticed a similar shortage in alcohol as selfish panic buyers continue to stockpile goods and ransack supermarket shelves.
One customer posted two pictures of completely bare alcohol aisles in a Sainsbury’s in Kingston.
Jose Cabal uploaded the pictures with the caption: ‘People panic buying is stupid and selfish.
‘Taking it to the next level: Kingston’s Sainsbury’s.’
Another user wrote: ‘Sainsbury’s alcohol aisles were pretty empty tonight.
While another said: ‘Watch this, with the pubs closed, bet the shops’ alcohol aisles will be bare as well.’
Neil Humphreys said: ‘And we thought the toilet-roll panic buying was bad. Wait till you see the alcohol aisles tomorrow!’
Another social media user wrote: ‘No drinking or eating establishments open. Cue lift-off on takeaways and empty shelves in supermarkets in the alcohol aisles.’
Britons woke up to a shut-down nation today after Boris Johnson ordered all pubs, restaurants, clubs, gyms and cinemas to close in a drastic ramping up of measures to stem the spread of the deadly infection, which has killed 177 and infected almost 4,000.
As people prepare to retreat indoors, people also appear to be stocking up on booze, with wine, beer and spirits flying off the shelves in supermarkets today.
The mad shopping spree has seen heartbreaking scenes of elderly people and exhausted frontline NHS staff standing helplessly beside empty shelves, prompting chains including Sainsbury’s and M&S to set aside a golden hour where they can buy essentials before the masses stampede the store.
A Marks & Spencer shop in Cribbs Causeway, Bristol, was among the first shops to call in police to help ensure older shoppers could use the hour set aside for them.
Asda and Aldi have hired a sports security firm, Showsec, to protect against selfish panic buyers.
And some other 118 major stores across the UK have also requested to protection from customers who openly flout governmental advice to stop panic buying.
The staff, who are usually escorting boxers to the ring, have been employed to work from 5am to midday.
One Shosec worker told The Sun: ‘They cannot handle the trouble. They’re calling us in to try and get some order back but it’s going to be a mammoth task.’
Supermarkets are desperately trying to keep up with the demand in order to prevent the elderly and NHS staff and emergency workers from having to go without as a result of other selfish shoppers.
Tesco is even hiring 20,000 shelf stackers on 12-week contracts, while Aldi is aiming for 9,000 and Asda for 5,000.
Most supermarkets have started limiting purchases and are trying to get shoppers down to just two or three items of food, toiletries and cleaning products.
Waitrose has started a £1million community support fund to make sure essential items are delivered to care homes.