Last week's poll: Should Coronavirus prompt a Brexit transition extension?

A press conference given yesterday by the PM and the UK’s chief medical and scientific advisers marked a new urgency in the nation’s response to Coronavirus (Covid-19).

In his address, PM Boris Johnson said people should avoid all unnecessary social contact, particularly the over-70s, pregnant women and those with certain health conditions.

For people living or working in London, he said to ‘take particularly seriously the advice about working from home and avoiding confined spaces such as pubs and restaurants’.

Covid-19 presents global supply chain emergency

Outside the capital, companies are taking it upon themselves to slow or cease operations in light of disrupted supply chains. Of these, Group PSA – manufacturers of Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhall vehicles - halted operations in Europe until March 27, 2020, with operations impacted in Ellesmere Port and Luton.

“Compliance with the barrier measures, going beyond the recommendations of the health authorities on the sites, are the best protection to prevent the spread of the virus,” the company said.