Coronavirus impact assessment: 23 March
From Friday evening, all pubs, restaurants and gyms have been forced to close their doors. But companies are being given considerable financial support so that they can pay their staff during the turbulent times, which should help prevent a major social collapse as well as an economic one. A weekend of sunshine has encouraged outdoor activities, but with many people not obeying the government's 2-metre distancing rule, measures to enforce isolation might step up a gear.
Shutting up shop Pubs and restaurants went into shutdown over the weekend and this morning, many retailers are following suit. John Lewis is closing all its stores, including the flagship Oxford Street premise which was bombed during the Blitz. Images circulating online show the bombed out shell of the store alongside the caption 'if we survived this, we can survive coronavirus'. But in the 1940's John Lewis wasn't facing the additional pressure of a world moving increasingly digital - something that may have been accelerated during the coronavirus outbreak. Tristel: still in favour Shares in Tristel (LON: TSTL), the manufacturer of…