Mobile morgue is built in London to help cope with number of bodies from coronavirus deaths as capital is worst-hit

London is braced to enter a lockdown within days - with extra travel restrictions for Brits in the capital.

Sources close to City Hall say the Government is preparing a fresh bill to give them the power to stop gatherings, and keep Londoners inside.

The over 70s, those who are pregnant, and anyone with underlying health conditions (around 20million Brits) should try not to leave their homes if they can, and avoid crowded spaces immediately.

This will continue for the “long haul” – likely weeks or months.

And those with severe illnesses like cancer (around 1.4million Brits) must start cocooning themselves in their homes and get food delivered in from this weekend.

Earlier this week Boris Johnson said: "Clearly what we’re announcing today is a very substantial change in the way we want people to live their lives, and I can’t remember anything like it in my lifetime.

"I don’t think there’s really been anything like it in peacetime.

"It’s a very considerable, psychological, behavioural change that we’re asking you, we’re asking the public, the nation to do.

"But I’ve absolutely no doubt that we can do it, that we can do it together."

A team from Imperial College London, led by Professor Neil Ferguson, said the new tighter controls could limit deaths to around 20,000 - with the leading professor admitting the best case scenario would still see tens of thousands die.

The country could be stuck in a state of "permanent outbreak" and lockdown until a vaccine is found - which is at least a year away - experts warned.

Professor Ferguson, director of the MRC centre at Imperial, said yesterday the UK is three weeks behind Italy, warning there was "no time to lose" as the NHS will be "overwhelmed many times over" in the fight against COVID-19.

He added the government got the timing of the lockdown "just about right" as it became unavoidable to no longer take stronger action.