In a bid to reduce the surge in coronavirus cases in England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new set of restrictions for the nation.
The new measures were announced by Boris Johnson this afternoon (September 22) in a statement to the House of Commons.
As we reported earlier today, the PM has introduced a new curfew which will force bars, restaurants and pubs to close at 10pm from Thursday (September 24). They must all operate a table service only, except for takeaways.
“I’m sorry,” Johnson said “but we must act”.
The Prime Minister also announced that all staff in retail, taxis and hospitality businesses will be required to wear face coverings.
From Monday (September 28), up to 15 people will be able to attend wedding ceremonies and receptions but a maximum of 30 can still attend funerals.
The government had previously hoped to see a partial re-opening of sports stadiums on October 1 but that plan has now been scrapped.
Johnson also announced that the rule of 6 will now be applied to all adult indoor team sports and asked those who can work from home to do so.
He added that the restrictions could remain in place for at least 6 months.
The new measures come after the coronavirus alert level upgraded from 3 to 4 yesterday, meaning transmission of the virus is “high or rising exponentially”.
“This is the moment where we must act,” Johnson said. “If we can curb the number of daily infections […] we can save lives, protect the NHS and shelter the economy.”