As cases of coronavirus surge, PM Johnson announces 'lockdown' measures

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday instructed all public institutions and places of gathering to shut their doors due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country, which has already afflicted more than 3,200 people and killed over 160.

"Following an agreement between all the four nations of the United Kingdom, all devolved administrations, we are collectively telling cafes, pubs, bars, restaurants to close tonight as soon as they reasonably can and not to open tomorrow," Johnson said at a news conference in London.

Johnson went on to instruct night clubs, theaters, gyms and other leisure centers to follow the same instructions.

The prime minister added that the measures will be reviewed every month accordingly.

On Thursday, Johnson had outlined a three-month timescale to turn the tide on the spread of the coronavirus on UK soil before ordering schools and universities closed.

The World Health Organization last week declared Europe as the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, but the UK government was slow to implement measures, reportedly unwilling to exact "draconian" measures on their populations.