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Boris Johnson has just announced a raft of restrictions people in the UK are being urged to follow.
From tonight, people will be allowed to leave their homes for:
- 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 their household;
- any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person;
- travelling to and from work, but only where it is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home
- This is not a lockdown, but it's as close as you can get to one without it being called a lockdown.
Andrew Aitch 
Mr Johnson says the government will immediately:
- close all shops selling non-essential goods, including clothing and electronic stores - as well as other premises like 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 allow funerals
- Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed, he says.
Johnson says people should not be meeting their friends - and if they are asked to meet up, they should say no.
People should not meet family members outside their home, he says, or go shopping for anything except for essentials like food or medicine.
"If you don’t follow the rules the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings," he adds.
For more information, visit the government website.
Stay at home. Protect the NHS. Save lives.
