Life for everyone in the UK changed drastically last night with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement that with immediate effect we all have to stay at home and only go out for a limited amount of exercise and essential food shopping.
According to the Guardian (2020), the restrictions are as follows:
UK lockdown: what are the coronavirus restrictions?
People in the UK will only be allowed to leave their home for the following 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 household
Any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
Travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home
Police will have the powers to enforce the rules, including through fines and dispersing gatherings. To ensure compliance with the instruction to stay at home, the government will:
Close all shops selling non-essential goods, including clothing and electronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship
Stop all gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with
Stop all social events, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but excluding funerals
Parks will remain open for exercise, but gatherings will be dispersed.
This is bound to have some significant effects on the pursuance of my studies, but exactly what remains to be seen. These are certainly extraordinary times, and not in a good way.
References
The Guardian (2020) ‘Boris Johnson orders UK lockdown to be enforced by police’ in The Guardian 24th March 2020 [online] At:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/23/boris-johnson-orders-uk-lockdown-to-be-enforced-by-police
Accessed on 24 March 2020