Pubs and restaurants to close at 10pm

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set out further measures to help battle Coronavirus.

Pubs and restaurants must now only serve customers at tables and must close by 10pm. Addressing the Nation on Television yesterday Boris said: "So today I set out a package of tougher measures in England – early closing for pubs, bars; table service only; closing businesses that are not covid secure; expanding the use of face coverings, and new fines for those that fail to comply; and once again asking office workers to work from home if they can while enforcing the rule of six indoors and outdoors – a tougher package of national measures combined with the potential for tougher local restrictions for areas already in lockdown. I know that this approach – robust but proportionate – already carries the support of all the main parties in parliament."

Prime Minster Boris Johnson addressing the nation yesterday. Photo: Downing Street.

The rules mean that customers must be out of the premises and the place empty by 10pm.

The move comes as Sir Patrick Vallance and Professor Chris Witty address the Nation the day before to highlight the concerns about rising Coronavirus cases.

“The tragic reality of having covid is that your mild cough can be someone else’s death knell.” Prime Minster Boris Johnson in his speech yesterday.