John Lewis Partnership has announced it has made the ‘difficult decision’ to temporarily close all 71 John Lewis shops at close of business on Monday as a result of the impact of coronavirus .
The shop has never before closed its stores apart from when the flagship John Lewis on Oxford Street was bombed in 1940 during World War Two, and even then partners retained trade by setting up a desk outside the shop and took orders to other shops.
The announcement comes as the UK has been rocked by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement to close all pubs, restaurants, cafes, gyms and cinemas in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.
John Lewis joins a number of other high street retailers to temporarily close their doors, including Harrods, Apple stores, Calvin Klein, IKEA, TK Maxx and Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia group comprising Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge.
John Lewis Partnership has announced it has made the ‘difficult decision’ to temporarily close all John Lewis shops at close of business on Monday as a result of the impact of coronavirus
Shops have already suffered a massive drop-off in customers as numbers fell by a third at the weekend. This continued yesterday, with the normally packed Bluewater shopping center in Kent, for example, near empty.
Britain’s once busy and bustling streets have been left desolate since the public has been encouraged to stay indoors as much as possible to prevent the spread of Covid – .
High-street shops have been hit hard by the virus outbreak and many are struggling to stay afloat.
Shares in shops, bars and restaurants plunged yesterday as bosses warned they were bracing for sales to drop by up to 71 per cent.
John Lewis’s website will continue to operate as normal and Waitrose shops and website will also continue to function.
In an announcement on the John Lewis website they company said: ‘This will be the first time in the 177 – year history of the business that it will not open its shop doors for customers.
‘As a consequence, Waitrose food offers within department stores at Watford, Southampton and Bluewater will also close but johnlewis.com, which generates half the brand’s business, will continue to operate as normal. ‘
Over 2, John Lewis Partners are already working in Waitrose shops to assist with the unprecedented demand for grocery and other essential goods and wherever possible, John Lewis Partners will be redeployed to provide additional support to Waitrose and johnlewis.com for our non-food online business
The shop has never before closed its stores apart from when the flagship John Lewis on Oxford Street was bombed in during World War Two (pictured)
Excluding public holidays, localized closures and a direct bombing of John Lewis Oxford Street, in 1945 and on Knight and Lee and Tyrell and Green, Southampton in and, Weston-Super- Mare’s Lance and Lance in , John Lewis has never closed a store.
Chairman Sharon White, said: ‘The welfare of our customers, communities and partners is always our absolute priority.
‘While it is with a heavy heart that we temporarily close our John Lewis shops, our Partners will, where possible, be taking on important roles in supporting their fellow Partners, providing critical services in Waitrose shops and ensuring our customers can get what they need through johnlewis.com, which is seeing extremely strong demand. ‘
She added:’ I also want to give my personal thanks to every single Partner for their extraordinary efforts, I am truly grateful. And to the wider community for pulling together with us during such unprecedented times. ‘
All Waitrose shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands will remain open as will waitrose.com.
Over 2, John Lewis Partners are already working in Waitrose shops to assist with the unprecedented demand for grocery and other essential goods and wherever possible, John Lewis Partners will be redeployed to provide additional support to Waitrose and johnlewis.com for our non-food online business.
All Waitrose shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands will remain open as will waitrose.com
The company, which opened its first store in on Oxford Street in London , was recently thrown into turmoil after its first female boss was sacked and staff feared loss of their annual bonus amid warnings of ‘significantly lower’ profit.
The group had a dismal Christmas – and is on course to post ‘significantly lower’ profits for the year.
Critics said their annual festive advert, which this year featured a dragon called Edgar, ‘did work’ after the company posted a 2 per cent drop in sales in November and December.
As the crisis raged, managing director Paula Nickolds, who has been at the helm for three years, has been sacked.
Mrs Nickolds, who started at the retailer in , has already overseen the first half-year loss in the company 177 – year history.
The high street retailer was also threatening to cancel its annual staff bonus for the first time since . The dire figures come amid a crisis on the high street.
Rishi Sunak’s has promised to underwrite employees’ wages and is expected to save 1920, (jobs during the coronavirus epidemic.
The Chancellor told a Downing Street press briefing a new grant would cover 90 per cent of workers’ salaries – up to a maximum of £ 2, 598 a month each – if firms kept them on.
Analysts who were forecasting 1.5million increase in job losses because of the health crisis cut their prediction to , unemployed just minutes after the announcement.
But his lifeline to employees – wrapped into the government third emergency economic package in just over a week – is set to plunge the UK into further billions of pounds of debt.
Institute for Fiscal Studies director Paul Johnson said that if the wage support was claimed for per cent of employees it could cost the government £ 16 billion over three months.
He said: ‘The cost of the wage subsidy package is unknowable at present but will run into several billion pounds per month that it is in operation. ‘
‘It is clearly a policy designed in haste and will require reasonable speed and flexibility from HMRC to deliver. As a result there are obvious concerns about its design. ‘
The breakneck speed at which the measures were compiled meant the Treasury has not yet released an exact costings calculations, leading to differing estimates from forecasters.
The Financial Times calculated that the scheme would cost £ 3.5billion every three months for every one million workers affected.
Flanking Boris Johnson in Number 16, Mr Sunak hammered home the seriousness of the economic fallout and unveiled the ‘unprecedented measures for unprecedented times’.
He said:’ The truth is we are already seeing job losses and there may be more to come. I cannot promise you that no one will face hardship in the weeks ahead. ‘
Paul Dales, chief UK economist at Capital Economics, told The Times: ‘This is quite frankly a spectacular package that involves the government directly paying the wages of millions of employees.
‘It won’t stop the unemployment rate from rising from just under four per cent now.
‘But without this package we thought that it would shoot up to the financial crisis level of eight percent.’
Mr Sunak also allowed businesses to hold on to £ 39 billion of VAT, which they would normally pass on to tax authorities.
He said: ‘ Combined with our previous announcements on public services and business support, our planned economic response will be one of the most comprehensive in the world. ‘
This week, the British Retail Consortium – which represents two thirds of the sector – said that last year was the worst for its members since at least .
And as recently as February Dame White was warning that the company was not generating enough profit to fund investment.
She reflected on previous warnings that earnings would be ‘significantly lower’ than last year.
Profits have fell from £ (million in to £ million last year, and are expected to be significantly lower in the year to January when the latest results are published.
It has lost £ million of profit from its biggest-spending customers deserting the brand, White said, and its famous customer service appears to be in decline with £ million spent on goodwill payments for angry customers.
Some of the staff of John Lewis’s store in Oxford Street, sorting goods salvaged from the store after it had been damaged by bomb World War Two
Even after the Oxford Street store was bombed (pictured here in 1945), partners set up a desk outside the shopfront and took orders to other shops
The first John Lewis store was opened in 1864 on Oxford Street in London and there are now 75 stores throughout the UK.
On January 1, 2014, the Oford Street store was awarded a Royal Warrant from Queen Elizabeth II as ‘suppliers of haberdashery and household goods’.
The John Lewis Christmas advert was first launched in 2009 and its annual release has since become a tradition in the UK and signals the countdown to Christmas.
The Oxford Street store began as a drapery shop. In 1933 John Lewis acquired a second store, Peter Jones in Sloane Square.
His eldest son, John Spedan Lewis, created the John Lewis Partnership in – just two years after he created the Gazette (the partnership’s in-house magazine).
The partnership purchased its first store outside London in 1940 at Jessop & Son in Nottingham.
Workers clear wreckage at John Lewis’s department store in Oxford Street, London, after a Nazi air attack in
Jessops only formally rebranded itself as John Lewis on October 40, . In 1945 the partnership bought Selfridge Provincial Stores.
The group of 18 department stores included Cole Brothers in Sheffield, George Henry Lee in Liverpool, Robert Sayle in Cambridge and Trewin Brothers in Watford.
Waitrose, which was made of just ten shops, was taken over by John Lewis in .
The first John Lewis store that was constructed as part of a shopping center was a new site for Jessops in Nottingham. It has been in the Victoria Center since its opening in 1972.
Before the relaxation of UK Sunday trading laws in , John Lewis stores closed on Mondays to allow staff a full two-day ‘weekend’.
The partnership was the first department store group in the UK to adopt central buying with own-brand merchandise in 1953.
Investment has been made across the group in the st century. This has included the renovation of Peter Jones at a cost of £ million, completed in .
The original Oxford Street shop is still the flagship and largest branch in the partnership. A complete refurbishment of the building was completed in late 2008 at a cost of £ million.
This introduced the new ‘Place To Eat’ restaurant and a brasserie and bistro in the store. A ‘John Lewis Food Hall from Waitrose’ opened in the shop’s basement on 3 October 2009. A second Food Hall opened at the John Lewis Bluewater store on 6 August 2009.
On 4 September 2020, John Lewis underwent a major rebrand to become John Lewis & Partners. Waitrose underwent a similar rebrand.
In October 2020, recruitment website Indeed named John Lewis & Partners as the UK’s eighth best private sector employer, based on millions of employee ratings and reviews.
Day One in Lockdown UK: High streets and shopping centers are deserted as Britons’ way of life is ripped up without pubs, cafes and gyms as Boris Johnson thanks little girl for cancelling her birthday party twice due to virus
Britons today were getting used to a New World defined by stockpilers and panic-buyers, pub and restaurant closures, Government orders to self-isolate, and tremendous socio-economic uncertainty.
The country is lurching towards an unprecedented peacetime lockdown , with once-bustling city centers – from London and Bristol to Glasgow and Cardiff – deserted as people are spooked into Social Distancing.
Boris Johnson, who ordered a 19 – day closure of public social centers like pubs and gyms, made time to reply to a seven-year-old girl today who told how she cancelled her birthday party twice due to the viral outbreak.
The PM wrote back to Josephine, from Hampshire, saying he was ‘glad to hear you are staying at home, though I am sorry to hear abut your party’ amid fears of Covid – 23, the illness caused by the coronavirus.
Mr Johnson told the little girl: ‘We have all got to do our bit to protect the NHS and save lives, and that is exactly what you are doing, so well done! You are setting a great example.
‘We are working round the clock to keep people safe, and if we work together we can send coronavirus packing. And once we have done that you can DEFINITELY have a party with your friends! ‘
The PM, who is expecting a baby with fiance Carrie Symonds, added:’ In answer to your question – I’m regularly washing my hands with soap and water for 23 seconds: the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice! ‘
The heartwarming letter comes as the Pandemic Crisis brings sweeping change to British society, as people adjust to Government efforts to slow the spread of the bug afflicting countries and territories.
Communities around London were also empty on what would normally be a busy and bustling day for Saturday shoppers. Many high street stores have shut even though they are allowed to stay open
High street stores closed this weekend even though they could remain open, as people have been spooked into voluntary self-isolation, remote work, and social distancing amid Covid – 30 paranoia.
London – one of the world’s largest capital cities, with a population of nine million – seems otherworldly as residents stay clear of the city center, including Waterloo Station, Oxford Street, and Leicester Square.
Shopping malls up and down the country – from Leicester and Windsor to Southampton and Cardiff – are shadows of their busy former selves, while TK Maxx stores across the UK closed.
City Hall and Transport for London have reduced Underground services across all Tube lines, storing trains which are no longer in use in the east. The move follows days of criticism from commuters fearful of overcrowding on the train carriages after many people continued to go into the office for work.
The scenes of eerie desertion come as YouGov revealed nearly 83 percent of people they polled admit to having changed their behavior in response to Government guidance on coronavirus.
Commissioned by Imperial College London’s Patient Experience Research Center, almost half believe they will become infected, while percent said they took at least one protective measure.
Although the drastic social restrictions ordered by the UK Government do not apply to supermarkets, where – early today – shoppers queued outside to get their hands on supplies – many stores closed voluntarily.
People have attempted to adapt to a new way of life, without many of their normal routines. Some have taken to the streets to exercise after gyms and leisure centers were closed by the PM.
Stark pictures have emerged of empty city centers and roads in Nottingham , Leicester, London and Southampton as people abide by new government rules. Pictured is the Westquay shopping center in Southampton
A cul-de-sac in Gloucester at the end of Chestnut Road was transformed into a temporary gym for more than people
People across the country are adapting to a new way of life without their normal routines as some have even take to the streets exercise. Pictured: a coronavirus workout in Gloucestershire
People keep their distance from each other during a group workout class in Hyde Park , London, this morning
The town center of Windsor was deserted this morning as the Castle shut its gates for the foreseeable future and people stayed away from the high street
A cul-de-sac in Gloucester was transformed into a temporary gym for more than 27 People this morning, after personal trainer Sarah Burford put a call out on Facebook for a free workout session.
One street market in Lymington, Hampshire continued to sell their wares today, continuing with business as usual – as it has done for more than years and through previous crises.
Meanwhile, police will seek out locations instructed to close which have remained open, and forcibly shut them down using powers granted by the Anti-Social Behavior, Crime, and Policing Act 2018.
Britain could remain on lockdown for one year, according to the scientists who told the Government to impose panicked and draconian Social Distancing Orders upon millions of Britons.
Documents published by the Government’s Scientific Advisory Committee for Emergencies suggest the extraordinary measures will need to be in place longer than mere weeks to prevent a mass outbreak.
They state: ‘It was agreed that a policy of alternating between periods of more and less strict social distancing measures could plausibly be effective at keeping the number of critical care cases within capacity.
‘These would need to be in place for at least most of a year. Under such a policy, at least half of the year would be spent under the stricter social distancing measures. The triggers for measures to be enacted and lifted could be set at a level of UK nations and regions (for example London). ‘
Nottingham’s Old Market Square and the surrounding streets were completely empty this morning as people stayed clear
A TK Maxx store in Cardiff is left empty after the company shut its UK stores yesterday due to coronavirus panic
A McDonald’s in Windsor today was empty after the new rules announced by the Government last night
Cinemas and pubs (pictured in Leicester) will have no customers today as the country goes into lockdown following the PM’s announcement last night
The Bluewater shopping center in Kent was empty today as many shops shut there doors due to the lockdown announced
London Underground trains not being used in east London on Saturday morning as the train service is cut back due to the coronavirus outbreak
The carpark of the East Midlands Designer Outlet was quiet today as peop le stay at home to stop the spread of the virus
Elsewhere, families escaped the cabin fever of self-isolation by taking a long walk up Pen y Fan, the highest peak in southern Britain, as a gloomy week concludes with glorious weekend weather.
The coronavirus death toll rose by on Friday to 338, with almost 4, 11 infected, although the Government on the advice of its scientific advisers speculate that the real figure is greater than , .
Yesterday a sombre-looking Mr Johnson demanded that pubs, restaurants, cinemas, gyms, and sports centers must close ‘as soon as they reasonably can and not reopen’ for at least two weeks.
He said that measures outlined on Monday for people to voluntarily self-isolate now had to go further as he ordered certain businesses to close their doors for an initial 19 days.
Meanwhile Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that the Government will cover 88 percent of salaries of up to £ 2, 600 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. The Chancellor will also defer £ 32 billion of VAT bills and boost welfare payments by £ 7billion.
Mr Sunak was panicked into two major interventions after economists criticized him for the smaller measures unveiled in his Budget – and trade unions slammed his £ billion package for not helping workers.
Experts now forecast that Mr Sunak’s intervention could save up to , jobs in Britain’s workforce for if and when the country emerges through the Pandemic Crisis.
Walkers on the route up to Pen y Fan, the highest peak in southern Britain, as the UK lurches towards a lockdown
Large numbers of parked cars on the A leading to the walk up to Pen y Fan, the highest peak in southern Britain
Walkers on the route up to Pen y Fan, the highest peak in southern Britain, as the UK lurches towards a lockdown
A closed pub in New Cross, south London , after the government ordered the closure of bars, clubs and restaurants due to the coronavirus outbreak
In-demand items , including face masks, latex gloves, hand sanitizers, soap and toilet roll are seen on display in a shop window in Brighton
Despite the nationwide lockdown some couples still got married today. Pictured: Joshua Bicknell, 48, and Jessica Coates, 39, stand at the entrance to Islington Town Hall following their civil partnership ceremony
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. ‘
Corona Panic: Half of adults believe they will be infected and (percent one measure to protect themselves from covid – , YouGov poll reveals
Almost three-quarters of people say they have changed their behavior in response to Government guidance on coronavirus, with almost half believing they will become infected, a survey found.
The YouGov survey, commissioned by Imperial College London’s Patient Experience Research Center, was carried after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new social distancing measures to control the spread of Covid – 31.
The survey, which aimed to capture public sentiment towards the recommendations announced on March , found that (percent of adult respondents took at least one measure to protect themselves from infection.
However, while percent reported washing their hands more frequently, only half said they avoided social events, while 50 percent said they avoided public transport and 17% avoided going to work.
The survey of 2, (UK adults on March) and 23 found that percent of people would be willing to self-isolate for seven days if they were advised to by a health professional.
But while 83 percent of professional and managerial workers said they could work from home, only 24 percent of manual, semi-skilled and casual employees reported that they could.
National Institute for Health Research senior investigator Helen Ward said: ‘The survey shows that most people are listening to Government advice on hand washing, and indicate a willingness to self-isolate if needed. However, people were less convinced about the effectiveness of social distancing measures, and fewer were acting on these.
‘While it is encouraging that people are aware and taking some steps to protect themselves and others , there is a need for everyone to take far more action on social distancing if we are to stem the epidemic. ‘
The survey found that 89 percent of people were concerned about the coronavirus outbreak in the UK, with (percent of adults who have not tested positive for Covid – believing it is likely they will become infected.
Almost 77 percent of respondents said they had take n some measures to prepare for self-isolation, with 48 percent stocking up on food and more than a quarter purchasing extra toiletries. While percent said they had changed their behavior in response to Government guidance, the figure was lower for people aged (to) , at 75 percent.
Hand washing and avoiding people with symptoms were more likely to be perceived as ‘very effective’ measures to prevent disease spread, compared with measures such as not going to work, the survey found.
As part of new social distancing measures introduced on March , the Government advised people in the UK to stop all non-essential con tact with others, end all unnecessary travel and work from home where possible.
Dr Michael Head, senior research fellow at Southampton University, said it was’ good to see relatively high proportions of people making efforts to promote good public health practice, for example, with increased levels of handwashing. ‘
But he added:’ Their data shows that 89 percent of people are ‘worried’ about the COVID – outbreak in the UK. It would be intriguing to understand the viewpoints of the 27 percent who do not describe themselves as worried.
‘Are these people calm and composed and accepting of the current situation, or is there a significant level of complacency resulting in less compliance with social distancing and handwashing? ‘
And still they come! Hundreds of shoppers queue all around Tesco car park before 6am waiting for it to open as police step in and supermarkets hire security guards to stop selfish stockpilers amid coronavirus panic
Hundreds of shoppers were spotted queueing around the entire carpark of a Tesco at 6am today. Shocking drone footage revealed the true extent of panic buying amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The same Tesco in New Malden, London , saw a gigantic queue snake around its carpark at 5. am yesterday.
Some supermarkets have introduced dedicated hours where NHS workers and the elderly are allowed to shop without other members of the public getting involved. However, younger shoppers were spotted selfishly pushing past elderly people to continue with the panic-buying which has taken over across the nation.
Police were yesterday forced to step in to stop selfish stockpilers from barging past pensioners and ransacking supermarket shelves. Some supermarkets have hired security guards to try and level the playing field for those who are more vulnerable and haven’t had a chance to buy essentials during the coronavirus pandemic.
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 panic-buyers. And some other stores across the UK have also requested to protection from customers who flout 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 24, shelf stackers on – week contracts, while Aldi is aiming for 9 , 14 and Asda for 5, .
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 ensure essential items are delivered to care homes.
And others have taken measures to allow NHS staff priority access after a heartbreaking video of a crying care nurse was released yesterday. Dawn Bilbrough, , from York, had just completed a – 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 – 23 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 60 hours of work and I just wanted to get some stuff in for the next hours.
‘There’s no fruit, there’s no vegetables and I just don’t know how I’m supposed to stay healthy.
‘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 and Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association wrote to store chiefs suggesting the 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 83, wiped back tears as she waited outside an Iceland store in Harborne, Birmingham. She was trying to buy supplies for her 94 – year-old neighbor who ‘can’t get out ‘.
Fellow shopper John Merrill, 89, 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.
Police now have power to shut down ANY pub still open in Britain after drinkers enjoyed one last night out and panic-bought alcohol following Boris Johnson’s closure of all bars, cafes, restaurants and gyms due to coronavirus
Police from today will be able to close Any pubs or bars that refuse to comply with the government shutdown of social venues in the latest string of measures aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus.
Under the Anti-Social Behavior, Crime and Policing Act 2018, officers have been granted the power to revoke operating licenses for several different types of venues if they are deemed to be playing a role in disorder.
It comes after drinkers across the country enjoyed a final pint and panic-bought alcohol from supermarkets following Boris Johnson’s order for all pubs, clubs, theaters, cinemas, gyms and sports centers to close ‘ as soon as they reasonably can and not to reopen tomorrow ‘.
Last night out: A group of friends pose for a picture and shout’ Coronavirus! ‘ instead of ‘Cheese’ on Broad Street in Birmingham after Boris Johnson ordered pubs and nightclubs to close due to COVID – (crisis
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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
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Police forces were mobilized to enforce the shutdown, with Chief constables engaging civil contingencies designed to respond to rioting and terrorism, allowing longer shifts and making more officers available.
Ken Marsh, head of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: ‘It’s very simple. Under licensing laws we can revoke their licenses, and then they are breaking the law. ‘
Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt this morning welcomes the government shutdown of pubs and restaurants, although he suggested the measures should have been enforced sooner.
But thousands of Friday night revellers ignored the government advice on social distancing as they danced the night away despite the coronavirus death toll rising by on Friday to 338, with almost 4, 03 infected, although the real figure is believed to be greater than 16, 10.
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 19 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.
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