Covid, curfew for pubs and restaurants to be introduced by Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson will announce that, from Thursday onwards, pubs, bars and restaurants in England will have a 10pm curfew.

Boris Johnson will address the nation tonight in order to outline new measures to stop the spread of Covid. The main feature of the stricter lockdown is the 10pm curfew for pubs, bars and restaurants in England.

Curfew for pubs and restaurants to be introduced by Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson will focus on the need for people to follow social-distancing restrictions, wear face masks and wash their hands. He will also encourage people to work from home where possible as mentioned by Michael Gove previously.

It is also rumoured that trials of spectators returning to professional sporting events will be put on hold and that indoor concert venues will be closed. The forthcoming announcement follows on from the Government’s chief scientific and medical advisers grim forecast of how there could be 50,000 cases and 200 or more deaths in the UK a day by mid-November if current trends continue with regards to the rising infection rate.

The Covid alert level has been raised from three to four, the second highest level possible, meaning that the “epidemic is in general circulation; transmission is high or rising exponentially”. The measures being introduced nationally is a surprising development given that a series of local lockdowns have been implemented to target the hardest hit regions. Regions in lockdown include the North-East, the North-West and the Midlands.

Mr Johnson will chair a Cabinet meeting and then a Cobra emergency committee meeting – including the leaders of the devolved nations – this morning before a televised broadcast at 8pm tonight. Many in the hospitality sector are extremely angry at the expected measures given that only 5% of cases out of the home are related to the hospitality sector. Business owners are also concerned given the financial effects from the first lockdown.