Johnson to impose 10pm curfew for pubs, restaurants to take on coronavirus

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will say the restrictions are are needed to prevent the return­ of a growth in infections.

Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street on Monday night. Picture: AFP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will on Wednesday AEST impose a 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants, ban ordering at the bar and scrap exemptions to the rule of six as he tries to rally the country in a renewed fight against coronavirus.

The COVID alert system was raised to its second most severe level on Monday night before new restrictions that Mr Johnson will say are needed to prevent the return­ of a nationwide growth in infections.

From Thursday, venues will be legally required to close earlier and to offer table service only. Ministers met on Monday night to decide which of the exemptions to the rule of six, which prohibits the gathering of more than six people, will be dropped, with indoor­ sporting events the most likely. The number allowed to attend­ weddings could also be cut from 30 to 15, it is understood.

Britain was prepared for six more months of tougher social distancing rules in a briefing by the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser, who warned that without action there could be 50,000 cases and more than 200 deaths a day within two months.

England’s CMO Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance played down hopes of a vaccine being widely available before the northern spring. In a joint briefing from Downing Street they sought to counter the main arguments against tougher measures, saying the virus was rising in all age groups and across the country. They pointed to rising deaths in France and Spain as warnings of what would happen without immediat­e action.

Urging people to stick to social distancing and hygiene rules, Professor Whitty said that the virus could not be regarded as “somebody else’s problem”.

Britain had “turned a corner” into fast exponential growth and “we have to break unnecessary links between households, because that is the way in which this virus is transmitted”, he said.

The warning came as a further 4368 cases of coronavirus and 11 deaths were confirmed.

Mr Johnson will address the nation in a recorded speech to be broadcast at 8pm on Tuesday (5am Wednesday AEST) after a meeting with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the other leaders of the devolved administrations, a cabinet meeting and a House of Commons statement.

He will say that it is still possible to avoid further restrictions if the country takes swift action now, said allies. He will repeat that he is determined to avoid closing schools and universities.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons on Monday­ night that the government had “a strategy of suppressing the virus while protecting the economy and education”.

Ministers are worried about low compliance rates among the young, students and some members­ of hard-to-reach communities. The flouting of rules has contributed to cases rising to a level estimated at 31 per 100,000, with a national “R” rate of 1.4.

The new restrictions will be cast as a first step, with others held in reserve if more action is required in a fortnight. The option of a two-week lockdown is among measures still under consideration. More aggressive local lockdowns, in which hospitality businesses are closed, are also possible.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs, said: “The government has got into the habit of ruling by decree in respect to the coronavirus issue without the usual debate and discussion and votes in parliament that we would expect on any other matter.”

The Times