All Restaurants, Pubs, and Cafes Closed in Great Britain
By the decision of the government of Great Britain, all public food establishments—restaurants, pubs, and cafes—have been closed since midnight on Friday and will not reopen until a specified date is announced. Visitors can order food and pick it up from designated windows, but they will not have the right to enter and sit around tables. This was reported by the BBC.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that "all nightclubs, cinemas, fitness centers, and entertainment venues should also be closed as quickly as possible." He noted that these restrictions are necessary to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The date for reopening the mentioned establishments is not known and will depend on the dynamics of the infection's spread. According to Johnson, this decision will be reviewed every month.
The government has promised to pay 80% of the salaries of employees of establishments closing due to the coronavirus, with a maximum payout threshold set at up to £2,500 per month. Similar establishments have already been closed in dozens of European countries.
As of the evening of March 21 in Great Britain, nearly 4,000 cases of the infection have been confirmed, 177 people have died, and 65 patients have fully recovered. The Prime Minister urged residents not to attempt to go to the closing establishments in the late hours on Friday. "The quicker and more effectively we follow these rules, the quicker the country will recover health-wise and economically. Right now, we need to keep people as physically distant from each other as possible," said Boris Johnson.