Prime Minister to order pub and restaurant curfews from 10pm

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce on Tuesday evening, that all pubs, bars and restaurants will be ordered to close by 10pm.

The Prime Minister will address the nation this evening and he will outline new measures across England to prevent the spread of the virus.

He will insist that people across England will wear face coverings follow social distancing and will tell people to wash their hands regularly.

This comes after England chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and the government scientific advisor Sir Patrick Vallance warned that by 13 October there could be 50,000 coronavirus infections and 200 deaths every day.

A Number 10 spokesperson said, “No-one underestimates the challenges the new measures will pose to many individuals and businesses.

“We know this won’t be easy, but we must take further action to control the resurgence in cases of the virus and protect the NHS.”

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) who represents around 20,000 UK pubs warned on Monday, that closing pubs temporarily would create an “astronomical cost” to the sector.

McClarkin, chief executive of BBPA, said pubs and brewers have worked “tirelessly” to reopen safely, and the majority are still struggling to break even.

“Consumer confidence is very fragile, and any extra restrictions inevitably have a further cooling effect on that,” she said.

“It is vital that the Government recognises the unprecedented challenges that pubs and brewers are facing at this time.

“Shutting down completely, even for a short period, would be a monumental task, severely impact hundreds of thousands of livelihoods and would come at an astronomical cost to the trade.”