The Prime Minister has instructed the British people to stay at home – to protect the NHS and save lives.
- If too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it – meaning more people are likely to die. So, it is vital to slow the spread of the disease.
- From today, the British people must stay at home. The critical thing we must do is stop the disease spreading between households. That is why people will only be allowed to leave their home for very limited purposes.
- With the time you buy – simply by staying at home – we are strengthening our NHS, increasing our stocks of equipment, accelerating our search for treatments, and buying millions of testing kits that will enable us to turn the tide on this invisible killer.
- At this time of national emergency: stay home, protect our NHS and save lives.
Stay at home
You must stay at home, only leaving for the following very limited purposes:
- Shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible.
- One form of exercise a day – for example, a run, walk or cycle – alone or with members of your immediate household.
- Any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person.
- Travelling to and from work, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home.
Protect the NHS
You must stay at home to protect the NHS:
- The NHS only has a limited number of doctors, nurses and specialist equipment.
- We are working around the clock to increase NHS capacity.
- The more people who get sick, the harder it is for the NHS to cope.
- We must slow the spread of the disease so that fewer people are sick at any one time.
Save lives
You must stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives:
- Police will disperse gatherings of more than two people in public, excluding people you live with.
- Police will issue fines to anyone who does not comply with these rules.
- Police will close all shops that are not essential, as well as playgrounds and places of worship.
You can find full guidance on staying at home and away from others here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/874742/Full_guidance_on_staying_at_home_and_away_from_others__1_.pdf
You can find the up to date medical advice here: www.nhs.uk/coronavirus
