London,  March 20: Britain on Friday announced tougher restrictions to fight the coronavirus outbreak, telling cafes, pubs, bars, restaurants, nightclubs, theatres and leisure centres to close.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said they should shut "as soon as they reasonably can" from Friday night and not reopen on Saturday, but said takeout services would still be allowed. Boris Johnson Orders Complete Lockdown in UK From Tonight to Prevent Spread of COVID-19.

Economic Measures

Johnson said new measures to help businesses would be announced on Friday -- and urged firms struggling with the outbreak not to fire staff.

MPs and industry bodies have raised alarm at reports of mass lay-offs in many sectors, including hospitality. "Stand by your employees, because we're going to stand by you," the premier said.

The Bank of England had earlier cut its main interest rate to a record-low 0.1 percent from 0.25 percent, to tackle an "economic shock" from the outbreak. It joined other central banks in stepping up action by also increasing holdings of UK government and corporate bonds to £645 billion ($766 billion, 700 billion euros).

Elsewhere, Johnson urged people to "please be reasonable in your shopping" as supermarkets emptied out of crucial items -- notably toilet roll -- across Britain. The government on Thursday said it was temporarily relaxing elements of competition law to allow supermarkets to work together to maintain supplies.

This includes sharing data on stock levels, or cooperating on deliveries or even pooling staff, officials said.

Royal, Religious Messages

Earlier Queen Elizabeth II urged people to work together, in her first official message on the outbreak. The 93-year-old monarch and her husband, Prince Philip, moved from London to Windsor Castle on Thursday because of the virus.

"I am reminded that our nation's history has been forged by people and communities coming together to work as one, concentrating our combined efforts with a focus on the common goal," she said in a statement issued by Buckingham Palace. Catch all the live updates related to coronavirus outbreak in India and abroad.

"Now more than any time in our recent past, we all have a vitally important part to play as individuals -- today and in the coming days, weeks and months."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will also use the Church of England's first virtual service on Sunday to urge worshippers to help others.

"We will find we are deeply consoled by our own gift of consolation," he will say, according to an advance extract. The Church announced that weddings during the coronavirus outbreak should be limited to a maximum of five people, including the bride and groom.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 21, 2020 12:09 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).