Cafes, pubs and restaurants must close from Friday night, except for take-away food, to tackle coronavirus, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

All the UK's nightclubs, theatres, cinemas, gyms and leisure centres have also been asked to close "as soon as they reasonably can".

Mr Johnson said the situation will be reviewed each month.

The chancellor has said the government will pay 80% of wages for employees who are not working, up to £2,500 a month.

Speaking at a daily Downing Street press briefing, Mr Johnson said the measures would be enforced "strictly" and that licensing arrangements will make doing so "relatively simple".

He urged people not to go out on Friday night, stressing: "For now, at least physically, we need to keep people apart."

The prime minister added: "The more effectively we follow the advice we are given, the faster this country will stage both a medical and an economic recovery in full."

BBC