LONDON, England, March 23, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) ― People in Britain are to be confined to their houses except for a slim number of reasons, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced today.
“You must stay at home,” Boris Johnson told over 66 million people at 8:30 p.m. GMT tonight.
Johnson called the COVID-19 coronavirus “the biggest threat this country has faced in decades” and explained that no health service in the world could cope with large numbers of people all becoming ill at the same time.
“It is vital to slow the spread of the disease,” the prime minister said.
Whereas the British public had merely been asked to stay home and practice “social distancing” to alleviate the coronavirus crisis, weekend crowds at beaches, public parks, and tourist sites showed that many Britons have been reluctant to make the sacrifice. However, as of now, residents of Britain are confined to their homes, and police have been given the power to fine people who are in public without a good reason and to break up assemblies.
The good reasons to be out include shopping for food and medicine, going for one form of exercise a day, like “a run, walk, or cycle,” “any medical need, to provide care or help a vulnerable person,” and traveling to and from work – and only if this is absolutely necessary and the work cannot be done from home.
“That’s all – these are the only reasons you should leave your home,” Johnson said.
“You should not be meeting friends. If your friends ask you to meet, you should say ‘no,’” he continued.
“You should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home. You should not be going shopping except for essentials like food and medicine — and you should do this as little as you can. And use food delivery services where you can.”
Eliminating temptations to gather, the British government has ordered all shops, restaurants, parks, gyms, and places of worship to close. Gatherings of more than two people who do not live in the same household are banned.
“To ensure compliance with the government’s instruction to stay at home, we will immediately close all shops selling non-essential goods, including clothing and electronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship,” said Johnson.
“We will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with,” he continued.
“And we’ll stop all social events, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but excluding funerals.”
This strict quarantine will last for at least three weeks.
“The way ahead is hard,” Johnson conceded, “…and many lives will sadly be lost [anyway].”
He insisted, however, that “we will rise to this challenge.”
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