Britain is awaking to an historic new day today as the UK enters the first full day under lockdown – with new rules in place and fines for anyone who breaks them.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson placed the UK in a dramatic nationwide lockdown in a bid to halt the coronavirus pandemic.
Brits face uncertain times as the lockdown comes into force and no one can predict yet just how long it will last.
But hopeful news came from China today, as the province at the epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic, Hubei, today lifted its lockdown two months after the outbreak began in the city of Wuhan.
The PM used an historic live TV address last night to order all Brits: “You must stay at home.”
Residents are only allowed out in four strict circumstances: to collect vital food and medicines, to exercise once per day, to attend medical appointments or to travel to essential places of work if they cannot work from home.
Social gatherings of more than two people face being broken up by police – and Brits can now be fined for leaving their homes without a valid reason.
Meanwhile, all non-essential businesses were ordered to cease trading at midnight.
This comes after the UK death toll from coronavirus yesterday hit 335 after 46 new deaths in the last 24 hours in England were announced by the NHS.
How to practise social distancing – in a lift
Brits are being told to stay two metres apart under the lockdown’s social distancing rules amid the coronavirus pandemic.
But what if you’re stuck in a confined space?
Some southeast Asian countries have got this dilemma sorted, with a clear set of rules to follow for people who find themselves forced to take a lift with others.
One Singapore tower block, the Maybank Tower, has introduced new social distancing measures, which sees lift occupants told to stand in one of nine designated spots with their faces to the wall.
And the practise of facings wall to avoid spreading the virus between people is being encouraged in some Thai hospitals too, perfectly demonstrated in the picture below.
