British Prime Minister Orders Pubs, Cafes, Restaurants Closed by Friday Night

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a Friday news conference that all cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants must close due to the coronavirus pandemic. Eateries and other establishments—including clubs, theaters, gyms, movie theaters and other “leisure centers”—must shut down by Friday evening in order to avoid unnecessary contact with others. “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,” he said. “But you can still be a carrier of the disease and pass it on... We want you as far as possible to stay at home.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak also announced that the U.K. would be adopting an “unprecedented” economic step called the “coronavirus job retention scheme,” in which the government would cover 80 percent of retained workers—up to £2,500 a month—at companies who apply for the grant. Sunak reportedly said the program would allow individuals to keep being employed despite their companies not being able to pay them.