THE government will hold the latest coronavirus press conference virtually from Downing Street tonight.
Tuesday's briefing is scheduled to begin at 4pm with chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove and the deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries stepping in for prime minister Boris Johnson.
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What time is the coronavirus press conference today?
The daily coronavirus press briefing takes place between 4pm and 6pm UK time.
Tuesday's press conference will begin at 4pm and will take place virtually – with journalists expected to dial in.
There was no press conference on Monday night with Johnson chairing an emergency Cobra meeting.
After the meeting last night, he addressed the nation and begged everybody to stay at home to save lives.
What will be announced in the briefing?
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove is expected to announce help for the self-employed in this nation.
This comes after Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak last week announced the government would pay up to 80 per cent of employee wages amid the crisis.
Deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries will likely address the latest medical efforts in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.
PM Johnson said on Monday night: “Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses.
“To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it – meaning more people are likely to die, not just from coronavirus but from other illnesses as well.
“So it’s vital to slow the spread of the disease. And that’s why we have been asking people to stay at home during this pandemic."
What was unveiled in yesterday's announcement?
Johnson last night effectively placed the UK into lockdown and ordered people to stay home to save lives.
In his address to the nation, the PM said: "From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction – you must stay at home.
“If you don’t follow the rules the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings.”
People are only now allowed to leave their homes for one of four essential reasons:
- shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible
- one form of exercise a day – (a run, walk, or cycle) – alone or with members of your household
- any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
- travelling to and from work, but only where absolutely necessary and this cannot be done from home
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Why is the government holding daily briefings?
Johnson and his senior cabinet ministers had been criticised for a lack of regular updates into what is happening with the coronavirus outbreak.
Among them was Sir Keir Starmer – a candidate to become the next Labour leader – who called for daily press conferences.
The Shadow Secretary said he was “deeply concerned” that “ministers have been failing in their responsibilities to provide consistent and transparent public health advice”.
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