Boris Johnson will order police to impose a strict ‘corona virus’ lock down, with a ban on gatherings with no more than 2 people and extreme limits on exercise, as he tells the British public : “You must stay at home”.

On Monday evening, the Prime Minister sent a message about what the British public is allowed to do while in lock down, and we should only go shopping for “essentials such as food and medicine”.

As part of the Coronavirus Bill – which passed through the House of Commons on Monday – police were given new emergency powers to help them guarantee public safety and maintain law and order.

Further into the announcement, Mr Johnson listed what the local police will do if anyone brakes the rules the government has put in place:

” If you do not follow the rules, the police will have the power to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings to ensure compliance with the government’s instruction to stay home we will immediately: close all shops selling non-essential goods including clothing and electronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms and places of worship.”

These procedures with the police is to ensure that social distancing is taken seriously by the public.

According to the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Foundation, Ken Marsh, has suggested officers will struggle to enforce the on-the-spot fines.

Ken Marsh quoted that Mr Johnson’s plans would be “very difficult” to put into practice because he was seeing “large amounts of sickness” among officers across the capital.

Chairman Ken Marsh, scheduled to be on @SkyNews shortly discussing the police response to the #Covid19 outbreak and the reality of what the Prime Minister's address to the nation will mean for the service. pic.twitter.com/poVExnJxLk

— Metropolitan Police Federation (@MPFed) March 23, 2020

Mr Marsh believes the Army could be brought in if police numbers fall due to the coronavirus, as the death toll hits 335 with more than 6,000 cases in the UK.

He told Sky News: “The Army are already in place on the outskirts of London and across the country.

“And I don’t doubt again for one minute that they will be called if needed.

“Because if we start losing large numbers in policing terms, through isolation and actually having Covid-19, then they are going to step in and support us in some way.

“It could be tailored in quite quickly and I would save that everything is on the table.”