Coronavirus: Boris Johnson shuts down mass gatherings over killer bug fears

THE Prime Minister has said the government will no longer be “supporting” mass gatherings from tomorrow.

It comes as Boris Johnson said “everyone” in the UK should now avoid “non-essential” travel and contact with others to halt the spread of coronavirus.

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In his first daily briefing on Covid-19, Mr Johnson explained how the government was “emphatically” moving “away from” mass gatherings.

However he did not ban them outright.

Many events, including next month’s London Marathon have already been suspended, while Premier League and Football League matches have been postponed until the beginning of next month.

However some events, such as Sunday’s Bath half marathon and Saturday night’s Stereophonics gig in Cardiff still went ahead as planned.

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Addressing the issue of mass gatherings, Mr Johnson said: “It remains true that risks of transmission of the disease at mass gatherings such as sporting events are relatively low, but it’s obviously logically as we’ve advised against unnecessary social contact of all kinds.

“It’s right that we should extend that advice to mass gatherings as well, so we’ve also got to ensure that we have the critical workers we need that might otherwise be deployed at those gatherings to deal with these emergencies.

“So tomorrow we will no longer be supporting mass gatherings with emergency workers as we would normally do.

“Mass gatherings we are now moving emphatically away from.”

In a dramatic escalation of the Government’s response, Mr Johnson said all members of the public needed to take extra action.

The PM said people should work from home and avoid pubs, clubs and theatres as part of a range of stringent new measures.

However he has not shut them down – like in countries such as Spain, Italy and France. The PM had faced criticism after his government took a less stringent approach to tackling the deadly virus than countries which have effectively locked down much of Europe.

However he said: “I appreciate this [curfews] is something we need to keep under review.”

Mr Johnson also said elderly and vulnerable people would have to start self-isolating for “around 12 weeks” in a “few days time”.

The PM said that without “drastic action”, cases of the deadly bug could double every five to six days.

He said “if you or anyone in your household” had one of the two symptoms – a high temperature or continuous cough – “you should stay at home for 14 days.

“That means that if possible you should not go out, even to buy food or essentials, other than for exercise and in that case at a safe distance from others.”

Mr Johnson said London appeared to be “a few weeks ahead” of other areas and urged people in the capital to pay special attention to the measures – including home working – suggested by the Government.