Atherstone pubs and restaurants 'will not close voluntarily' as coronavirus threatens to call time on hospitality industry

Pubs and restaurants in Atherstone last night promised not to lie down in the face of a coronavirus enemy which threatens to kill more than just their businesses.

They pledged to defy the odds as long as possible as the effects of Boris Johnson's televised advice to "avoid them" already appeared to have impacted on a scene of emptying bars and eateries.

The owners and managers whose livelihoods at least are at stake invoked a Churchillian spirit of fighting to keep a warm welcome for customers as world leaders described the spreading Covid-19 pandemic as simply: "We are at war."

Angel landlady Carol Evans accepted the prime minister, along with the country, faced a situation unprecedented in our lifetime.

But she pointed to effectively calling time on her business of five years – condemning thousands of businesses to an uncertain future by telling the population to "avoid unnecessary social contact".

She told Nub News: "We will remain open until we are told to shut," adding: "It's business as usual."

Round the corner from the Market Square hostelry, the Black Horse had been preparing for today's traditional St Patrick's Day celebrations which is always well patronised by locals.

Barperson/waitress Robyn Northall was dressed in the spirit of the occasion in black t-shirt and green and black leprechaun hat while the pump in front of her signalled 'Doom Bar'.

Recently-installed manager Jane Griffiths said her private rooms were "full up tonight" but the bar was all but deserted.

But she warned: "They will have to close us down, we're not just going to shut.

"What is the brewery going to do with all the kegs of beer if we close."

Long Street Indian restaurant Raj Mahal cut a lonely vista. Its solitary host of the normally-popular eatery said it would be "open for business" on Tuesday as usual while the only person eating declined to be photographed in an otherwise empty restaurant.

Was Monday evening the last hurrah for what some health experts claim could be a war of attrition against a deadly virus lasting 18 months?

The Government's advice for people to avoid pubs, clubs and theatres in a bid to halt the spread of coronavirus is "catastrophic" for jobs and businesses, sector leaders have said.

They have called for businesses to be supported because they are concerned they will get no compensation from insurers.

UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said the new advice left the industry in "limbo with no recourse to insurance".

She added: "This is catastrophic for businesses and jobs.

"The government has effectively shut the hospitality industry without any support, and this announcement will lead to thousands of businesses closing their doors for good, and hundreds of thousands of job losses."

Today Atherstone and district will be waking to a 'brave new world' set out by the prime minister, chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and chief medical officer for England Professor Chris Whitty.

The measures effective as of now include:

- A call to stop "non-essential contact" and "unnecessary travel" which means more people should work from home and everyone should avoid pubs, clubs and restaurants.

- Avoiding unnecessary social contact is particularly important for people over 70, for pregnant women and for those with some health conditions.

- A shift to isolating entire households where someone has developed symptoms. While individuals who developed a continuous cough or high temperature had previously been told to self-isolate for seven days, the new plan is for a fortnight's lockdown for all those living with someone who develops symptoms.

- The imminent prospect of a 12-week period of social "shielding" for the most vulnerable and by the weekend, a similar timeframe of confinement for those with the most serious conditions.

- From today, emergency workers will no longer support mass gatherings – effectively signalling the end of sport as well as theatre and music concerts. The latest guidance on cornavirus can be seen here. Sir Patrick explained at yesterday's televised press conference that the UK is "three weeks behind" Italy – Europe's sickest nation in coronavirus terms – which has 27,980 confirmed cases including 2,158 deaths. Some 1,543 has tested positive for the virus in the UK with 55 deaths. But the health experts believe the actual number of cases is estimated to be between 35,000 and 50,000. Some 1,416 people in the UK who have tested positive are suffering with a "mild" condition while 20 are said to be critical. Some 107 UK cases have already had an outcome – with 52 recovering or discharged from hospital. However scientists have warned around 250,000 people could die in Britain as a result of the coronavirus outbreak unless more draconian measures are adopted to protect the population. The Imperial College Covid-19 response team – which has been advising ministers – said that even with the "social distancing" plans set out by the Government, the health system will be "overwhelmed many times over". In its latest report, it said the only "viable strategy" was a Chinese-style policy of "suppression" involving the social distancing of the entire population. Mr Johnson said the measures were needed as the UK was approaching the "fast growth part of the upward curve" in the number of cases. "Without drastic action, cases could double every five or six days," he said. However, the Imperial College report warned that even with such a dramatic closing down of normal life, the capacity of health systems in the UK and the US – which is adopting similar measures – was likely to be "exceeded many times over". "In the most effective mitigation strategy examined, which leads to a single, relatively short epidemic (case isolation, household quarantine and social distancing of the elderly), the surge limits for both general ward and ICU (intensive care unit) beds would be exceeded by at least eight-fold under the more optimistic scenario for critical care requirements that we examined," it said. "In addition, even if all patients were able to be treated, we predict there would still be in the order of 250,000 deaths in GB, and 1.1 to 1.2 million in the US." The report said there was no alternative but to move to a policy of total "suppression" involving the social distancing of the entire population, home isolation of cases and household quarantine of family members. Even then, it said it was "not at all certain" that the strategy would succeed in the long term. "The social and economic effects of the measures which are needed to achieve this policy goal will be profound," it said. "No public health intervention with such disruptive effects on society has been previously attempted for such a long duration of time. How populations and societies will respond remains unclear." It said such measures would need to be maintained potentially for 18 months or more until an effective vaccine became available. On the world stage, Canada, Norway and Denmark are among a host of countries who have announced emergency border closures in a bid to impede the spread of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 6,000 people. The Foreign Office has advised British nationals against "all but essential" travel to many parts of the world due to the risk posed by the virus, or the risk of being cut off as transport links are shut. The EU has also announced plans for a 30-day ban on non-residents entering the bloc, although seniorfigures are keen that borders between member states remain open. Many European countries have already announced their own containment measures to try and get a grip on the pandemic, including shutting their doors to foreign nationals. While Britain appears to adopting a voluntary euthanasia of its hospitality industry, France has announced some of the most strident measures on its own citizens, including the closure of all non-essential businesses such as shops, cafes, restaurants and cinemas and ski resorts, as well as schools, nurseries and universities.