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| - Britain on Tuesday tightened restrictions to stem a surge of coronavirus cases, ordering pubs to close early and advising people go back to working from home to prevent a second national lockdown. Pubs, bars and restaurants were ordered to shut at 10:00 pm (2100 GMT) across England and Scotland, and new limits were announced on public gatherings such as weddings. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also called a halt to the planned phased return of fans to live sporting events in England from October 1, despite huge losses and fears some clubs could go under. "To help contain the virus, office workers who can work effectively from home should do so over the winter," the government said, despite fears for the wider economy as many city centres turn in to ghost towns. Johnson has warned the country is tracking Europe with a second wave of infection, making urgent action necessary to prevent tougher measures later on. "This is the moment we must act," he told parliament. "We're acting on the principle that a stitch in time, saves nine." Johnson said the measures, which could be in place for up to six months, would be bolstered by greater penalties for infringements, a boosted police presence and military back-up. "If all our actions fail to bring the R (reproduction rate) below one, then we reserve the right to deploy greater firepower with significantly greater restrictions," he added. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she did not rule out a total "circuit-breaker" lockdown during October school holidays if cases remained high. Sturgeon's devolved government, which controls health policy in Scotland, went further than England and imposed curbs on interactions between households, with some exemptions. Limits on visiting other people's homes are already in force in Wales and Northern Ireland, while millions of people in all four parts of the UK are under so-called local lockdowns. Government scientists have painted a grim picture of up to 50,000 coronavirus cases a day by mid-October and more than 200 deaths a day a month later if no action is taken. Johnson, battling sustained criticism for his handling of the outbreak, brushed aside renewed anger from the hospitality sector, which is still trying to get back on its feet. The restrictions on pubs, bars and restaurants come into force from Thursday in England and Friday in Scotland. The curbs come just months after Johnson's government encouraged people to return to the workplace, given dire warnings about the impact of the outbreak on businesses. In the latest sign of the fallout from the pandemic, UK leisure group Whitbread announced it could shed up to 6,000 jobs at its hotel and restaurant chains. Pub chain Wetherspoons also said 1,000 of its staff at UK airports had been warned that up to 450 jobs were at risk. Almost 42,000 people who tested positive for Covid-19 have died in Britain -- the worst death toll in Europe. Another 4,368 positive cases were recorded on Monday in levels not seen since early May, when the country was still subject to a nationwide stay-at-home order. As ministers warned of a "tipping point", the Covid-19 alert level was raised from level three to four, indicating that rates of transmission were now "high or rising exponentially". Customers outside cafes in central London were broadly supportive of the new rules if it meant avoiding another lockdown, given widespread concern about large numbers of people at pubs. "It isn't all about the money," Francesca Galluzzo, an operations manager, told AFP. "It should be about people's lives." Jennifer Cole, a biological anthropologist at Royal Holloway, University of London, rejected suggestions the early closing time would make little difference. "We know that the biggest influences in people's risk-taking behaviour is alcohol. The more drunk you are, the less inhibited and less risk-averse you are," she said. bur-phz/jit/bp
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