The UK woke up to a lockdown this morning – after Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared a "moment of national emergency" last night.
People will only be allowed to leave their home for essential supplies, one form of daily exercise or a walk, medical care or "absolutely necessary" work.
Anyone caught flouting the measures faces a fine of between £30 and £1,000 from Thursday, when a bill containing the new legislation to deal with coronavirus is expected to become law.
But despite not being able to leave their homes, drivers must still MOT their cars.
In London, commuters were seen filling reduced train services this morning – which Sadiq Khan refuses to provide more of.
Mr Johnson said the measures will be "under constant review" and will be considered for relaxation in three weeks if the evidence allows.
Follow our coronavirus live blog below for all the latest news and updates.
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PRISON LOCKDOWN
Jails in England and Wales have been put on immediate lockdown with all visits cancelled, according to the union which represents prison officers.
The POA said it “praised the decision of the Secretary of State for Justice and the Director of Public Sector Prisons for their decision to place Prisons in England and Wales on immediate lockdown”.
According to the union, restrictions inside jails will mean:
– Inmates generally being locked up but allowed to access showers, phones and exercise – with social distancing restrictions in place
– Prisoners who carry out kitchen, cleaning and laundry work can continue
– No social visits
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DAILY BRIEFING GOES VIRTUAL
The Government's daily coronavirus briefing will take place virtually later today, Downing Street has said.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove and Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Jenny Harries will host the 'virtual press conference'.
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TOKYO 2020 POSTPONED
It has now been confirmed that the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo will be postponed by a year.
It is said that the games, which were due to be held in Japan this summer, will keep their name 'Tokyo 2020', despite being held in 2021.
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CONSTRUCTION CHAOS
Workers at the UK's biggest construction project continue to work in close proximity.
Over 4,000 Hinkley Point C staff were told that business will continue running as normal despite Boris Johnson's announcement yesterday.
EDF Energy, the company behind the government-backed project in Somerset, said on Monday that they were “taking extra steps” to safeguard their workforce – including extra buses for workers to enable them to sit two metres apart.
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TFL: WORK ON CROSSRAIL SITES SUSPENDED
Work on Crossrail sites is being temporarily suspended, Transport for London (TfL) has said.
In a statement on Tuesday, it said: “The Government and the Mayor have given clear instructions to stay safe and to stop travelling in all cases other than critical workers making absolutely essential journeys.
“In line with this, TfL and Crossrail will be bringing all project sites to a temporary safe stop unless they need to continue for operational safety reasons.
“This means that work on all such projects will be temporarily suspended as soon as it is safe to do so. Essential maintenance of the transport network will, of course, continue.”
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