
Thousands of people yesterday flouted Government warnings to stay indoors as much as possible to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Beaches, beauty spots, parks and playgrounds were packed as Britons took advantage of the sunny spring weather.

As the pictures on these pages show, the Government's advice to 'exercise safely' – remaining around six-and-a-half feet or two metres apart – was not being heeded in many cases, increasing the risk the deadly virus could be more easily spread.

A landrover and trailer on the outskirts of Llyn Tegid at Bala Lake in North Wales telling visitors to go home

People are seen walking on Clapham Common on Sunday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people to stay indoors and 'work from home where possible'

A new term, 'Covidiot', was used on social media to describe those who were putting the health of the community at risk of Covid-19 by rubbing shoulders too closely with strangers.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said people need to realise that the Government's advice to keep social distance 'isn't a game'.

He said people can still go out for walks and take exercise, but added: 'Lots of people sat out together in parks or on beaches. That isn't sensible. We strongly discourage that.'

Some city and town centres took the message to heart, with many appearing deserted. But in other places it was busy as a bank holiday. Locals angered by incomers fleeing the virus put up signs to discourage them.

People packed Bournemouth esplanade this morning (Sunday). Paddle boarders and swimmers braved the cold temperatures despite fears over the global coronavirus outbreak

A landrover and trailer on the outskirts of Llyn Tegid at Bala Lake in North Wales telling visitors to go home

Visitors not put off by the coronavirus pandemic flock to the seaside resort of West Bay in Dorset on a day of sunshine and clear blue skies

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside! Visitors continued to flock to seaside resorts today including this one in West Bay, Dorset

A picture showed a sign in Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd, North Wales, reading: 'No non-essential travel. So why are you here?'

Another image, shared by Judy Murray, mother of tennis star Sir Andy, showed a Land Rover and trailer by the lake at Bala, also in Gwynedd, spray-painted with the words: 'Go home idiots. Covid-19.'

The Government last night issued guidance that Britons should not travel to their second homes.

They should avoid travelling unless it is vital said the advice, adding: 'Essential travel does not include visits to second homes, camp sites, caravan parks or similar, whether for isolation purposes or holidays.

'People should remain in their primary residence. Not taking these steps puts additional pressure on communities and services that are already at risk.'

It came as the Lake District and other tourist destinations in Cumbria reported an 'influx' of visitors. Cumbria Police's assistant chief constable Andrew Slattery told people to stay away, reminding them the area is 'no longer conducting business as usual'.

People were seen in Skegness today indulging in fish and chips. They were stood close to each other and some were sharing their food

Out and about by the River Thames near Hammersmith in West London, seemingly oblivious to government instructions to keep away from crowds

People in Brighton were seen walking along the seafront his afternoon as many decided to ignore advise to stay indoors today

Dog walkers, cyclists, joggers and drivers all crowd Richmond Park this afternoon as some people continue to ignore the pleas of staying indoors to help try and reduce the amount of people getting infected with the coronavirus

Pictured: Public flock to Skegness ignoring the Government social distancing guidelines to help slow the spread of Covid-19 this afternoon

Pictured: Bikers flock to Skegness ignoring the Government social distancing guidelines to help slow the spread of coronavirus

A sign telling visitors to go home in an attempt to prevent them coming to Wales on the outskirt of Bala, Gwynedd, in North Wales

In Snowdonia trekkers climbed Pen y Pass near Llanberis cheek by jowl. At the Brecon Beacons, hordes of walkers traipsed up hills. And Richmond Park in South-West London was described as being the busiest it had been for years.

Leicestershire County Council has announced that all of its country parks are closed with immediate effect, as did the Wildlife and Wetland Trust at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire.

Northamptonshire police said its officers visited nine pubs in Corby over the past two days after receiving reports they were still open.

Officials in Skegness called for arcades and caravan parks to be shut after thousands of visitors flouted advice on social distancing.

The area has more than 200 caravan sites but only a downgraded hospital with no full A&E.

Pictured: Tourists enjoy a day out in Skegness despite social distancing warnings issued by the Government amid the coronavirus pandemic

People are pictured enjoying fish and chips on a bench in Skegness as crowds flocked to the resort despite warning about Covid-19

Dog walkers, cyclists, joggers and drivers all crowd Richmond Park this afternoon as some people continue to ignore the pleas of staying indoors to help try and reduce the amount of people getting infected with the coronavirus

The infamous Columbia Road Flower Market in London showed no signs of slowing down today as many flocked there to purchase flowers

In Scotland, its tourism secretary, Fiona Hyslop, was clear and asked people not to flock to the Highlands in order to escape other busier places.

'My advice to everybody is stay where you are. Do not travel to the Highlands and Islands.'

Meanwhile, Judy Murray, mother of tennis stars Andy and Jamie Murray, tweeted a simple message to 'those relocating to the countryside' - a picture of a car and trailer with 'Go home idiots' and 'Covid-19' painted on the side.

The pleas came as the organisation that represents tourism businesses along the A830 road, which connects Fort William with Mallaig, also urged potential visitors to stay away.

The Road To The Isles group includes 100 accommodation and visitor-based businesses on the scenic route, which takes in Glenfinnan, Lochailort, Roshven, Arisaig, Morar, Mallaig and the Small Isles of Eigg, Muck, Rum, Canna and the Knoydart peninsula.

The area already has an ageing population, with just one doctor and ambulance to cover it, and the nearest hospital is 100 miles away.

Mark Jones, crime commissioner for Lincolnshire, tweeted: 'Time for everyone to be socially responsible or be made to be. These caravan sites and arcades must be closed and quickly.

'Lincolnshire's health and 999 services cannot and should not be facing 100s of thousands visitors on top of residents to support.'

In Wales the Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price, wrote to the country's First Minister demanding a stop to people travelling to caravan parks, second homes and tourist accommodation. He wrote: 'I am asking that urgent steps are taken to avoid unnecessary additional pressure on our health and social care system at this difficult time.'

Many people were also seen walking around in Richmond Park this afternoon as they looked to get fresh air amid the coronavirus outbreak

The Scottish Government has issued a travel warning and criticised the ''irresponsible behaviour' of those travelling to the Highlands in a bid to isolate from coronavirus

Mother's Day mayhem at the tills: Tesco supermarket is forced to shut after dozens of panic-buyers ignore 'NHS hour' - while shoppers accuse retailer of raising prices after it scrapped 600 promotional offers Hundreds of shoppers were spotted queuing outside supermarkets on Mother's Day this morning as self-isolation cancels celebrations. Eager shoppers were seen queuing outside a Tesco in Cheshunt just before it opened its doors to NHS workers and emergency staff in a bid to help them buy essentials before panic buyers ransack the shelves. However, one Tesco was forced to shut its doors after selfish shoppers invaded the hour reserved for NHS staff. The shop in Milton, near Cambridge, had to shut its doors and start operating a one-in one-out policy from 10.15am after hundreds of members of the general public started shopping too early and the store quickly became full too capacity. People queue at a Tesco Extra in Osterley, London, the day after Tesco announced their stores will now have a designated hour for NHS staff to purchase their food shops More shoppers are expected to flood into stores later while panic buying continues across the country despite warnings from the government and retailers that doing so is harmful to those in need. Tesco has now removed all of its multi-buy deals and promotions in a bid to put an end to shoppers buying up all essential items. The retail giant has also hiked prices on 600 products from Diet Coke to tampons. It claimed that the increase in prices were simply in response to the promotions ending. More than 8,000 items disappeared from Tesco's website over the past week and the number of fresh food products fell by almost two thirds, according to analysis by The Times. Shoppers queue outside a branch of Costco, in Croydon, south London, on the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close as the Government announced unprecedented measures to cover the wages of workers who would otherwise lose their jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak Advertisement

As Covid-19 affects communities across the country, the organisation said the 'vital services' still open there are 'struggling to cope with demand'.

Sine MacKellaig-Davis, chairwoman of Road To The Isles Marketing Group, said: 'Road To The Isles at this time would normally be marking the opening of the season, coming out of hibernation and preparing to welcome valued visitors from around the country.

'However, Covid-19 has changed all our lives as we know it. We now face a difficult road ahead and have a social responsibility to protect our communities.'.

She added: 'For now, we ask you to stay home, care for loved ones and, as soon as it's safe to do so, the Road to the Isles and its communities and businesses will welcome you.

'Right now, we need to protect all the people that make the Road to the Isles such a unique and special place.'

Ms Hyslop told BBC's Sunday Politics Scotland that people heading to the Highlands in campervans or to stay in holiday homes could be putting local communities 'at risk'.

She said: 'If they get ill there they will compromise the health or others that are living in the Highlands and Islands.'

She added that emergency legislation being brought in by Westminster would give both the UK and Scottish Governments 'specific powers' to help with this.

But she stressed: 'We're appealing to people to use their common sense for their safety, the safety of their family and indeed of the vital communities.

'They will be welcomed back to the Highlands and Islands at some point in the future, just it is impossible right now.'

Similarly, Scotland Office Minister Douglas Ross said the UK and Scottish Governments had both been 'very clear' in issuing the message to people: 'Stay at home, don't risk yourself and others by going to more remote parts of the country where the NHS will be under pressure, the local shops will be under pressure.'

With the emergency legislation being debated at Westminster on Monday, he added: 'We shouldn't need to enforce this, but when this Bill is debated in Parliament the powers will be coming to the Scottish Parliament to deal with this if we have to.'

Experts have since warned that the death toll in Scotland could get worse if people ignore warnings to self isolate.

National clinical director Jason Leitch was speaking after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said pubs that stay open during the Covid-19 outbreak are putting lives at risk.

Ten people have died, the Scottish Government announced on Sunday, and 416 have tested positive for the virus.

Ms Sturgeon said that while the 'vast majority' of bars, restaurants and cafes have complied with instructions from the Scottish Government to close, she had seen suggestions on social media that a 'small minority might not be complying'.

She insisted: 'If that's true, make no mistake... lives are at risk as a result. Please do the right thing now.'

Meanwhile, Professor Leitch told the Sunday Mail newspaper: 'We really aren't messing around with this now.

'To protect individuals and society's vulnerable, we need to make very drastic social distancing and isolation choices.'

The medical expert continued: 'The Chief Scientific Adviser in England has said he thinks 20,000 deaths across the UK would be a good outcome.

'In Scotland, that would be about 2,000, but the worst-case scenario is much worse than that. People need to take the advice they're being given very seriously.'

Heeding advice not to go out unless necessary and to stay away from others could be 'the difference between tens of thousands of deaths and the number of around 2,000', he added.

Prof Leitch stressed: 'We've told the symptomatic and very vulnerable to stay at home. Then we told some other groups - those with diseases, those over 70 and those who are pregnant - to take very seriously the calls to reduce social contact.

'For everyone else, they must socially distance themselves as much as possible - that means no pubs, no clubs, no birthday parties, no Mother's Day family dinners.

'It's a horrible thing and none of us have done it lightly but it's to protect the people that will get this virus because it's a proper disease.'

It comes as yesterday the National Trust made a dramatic U-turn and closed all its parks and gardens - leaving many with no where to go for a Mother's Day walk today.

In addition West Wittering Beach in Chichester, south-east England, has closed to the public after the number of visitors on Saturday 'far exceeded' expectations, the estate owners said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged people to stay away from their mothers in a break from normal Mother's Day celebrations.

Doctors warned that a 'tsunami' of severely ill patients was about to engulf them, describing near-apocalyptic scenes amid chronic shortages of basic equipment and fears that unprotected medics could either become desperately ill themselves or become carriers and infect others.

As hospitals raced to convert operating theatres into intensive care wards and begged vets to hand over ventilators normally used for pets, Mr Johnson pleaded with the public to reduce social interaction, even with their mothers.

In a powerful letter, he said: 'Today is Mother's Day. It is a day when we celebrate the sacrifice and the effort of those who gave us life. Across the country, I know that millions of people will have been preparing to do something special – not just a card, not just flowers.

The Scottish government today said people were irresponsible for travelling to Scotland amid the coronavirus pandemic

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge share adorable Mother's Day card from George to Kate, as they pay tribute to Carole Middleton and Princess Diana in a touching post - saying they're thinking of 'mothers new and old at this difficult time' Prince William and Kate Middleton have shared a poignant message on Mother's Day, alongside treasured photos and a card Prince George made for Kate. Taking to the Kensington Palace Royal Instagram account, the Duke, 37, and Duchess of Cambridge, 38, penned: 'To mothers new and old and families spending today together and apart – we are thinking of you all at this difficult time. Happy Mother's Day.' Taking to the Kensington Palace Royal Instagram account, the Duke, 37, and Duchess of Cambridge, 38, posted a selection of photos to celebrate Mother's Day. Pictured, Prince William and Kate Middleton with their children in Norfolk In a heartfelt caption, the couple penned: 'To mothers new and old and families spending today together and apart – we are thinking of you all at this difficult time. Happy Mother's Day' Their images included a previously unseen snap of the duke and duchess giving George, six, and Princess Charlotte, four, a piggyback, one of William and brother Prince Harry as youngsters with their late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, and another of Kate as a baby in the arms of her mother, Carole Middleton. Six-year-old George's colourful card - an expertly-crafted collage made of card, paint and tissue paper - depicted a yellow vase with three red flowers. And fans from across the globe were delighted by the touching post - and thanked the royals for sharing during this difficult time. 'We need more content like this in this difficult time! thank you. sincerely yours, from Indonesian royal watcher,' wrote one, while a second enthused: '3 beautiful and very loving mothers. Happy Mother's Day to all Mums. I love Prince George's card. Super cute.' A third praised: 'Aww we love all 4 photos! Happy Mother's Day. Mummies are our super heroes,' while a fourth added: 'Oh such a lovely inspiring post - thank you.' Meanwhile, the royal family shared a black and white image of the Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, in 1951 with her mother, Queen Elizabeth, holding on to their hats as they arrived at Westminster Abbey for a wedding. On Instagram, a message said the royals were thinking of mothers everywhere on what could be 'a different and difficult day' as the nation is urged to avoid visiting their parents amid the coronavirus pandemic. The message read: 'Mothering Sunday is a chance to thank and celebrate all mothers and caregivers, wherever they may be. 'Today may be a different and difficult day for those who would usually plan to spend time with their mothers, as we adapt to the necessary changes and disruption to our normal routine and regular patterns of life. 'But for all Mums everywhere, we are thinking of you, and wish you all a very special Mother's Day.' Clarence House wished people a Happy Mother's Day 'particularly in a year when families may not be able to be together'. The post featured an image of a young Prince Charles playing in the Clarence House garden with his mother in 1950. Advertisement

'I know that everyone's strongest instinct is to see their mother in person, to have a meal together, to show them how much you love them.

'But I am afraid that this Mother's Day the single best present that we can give – we who owe our mothers so much – is to spare them the risk of catching a very dangerous disease.'

He added: 'The best thing is to ring her, video call her, Skype her, but to avoid any unnecessary physical contact or proximity. And why? Because if your mother is elderly or vulnerable, then I am afraid all the statistics show that she is much more likely to die from coronavirus... We cannot disguise or sugar coat the threat'.

In his letter, the Prime Minister added: 'Unless we act together in Britain, unless we make the heroic and collective national effort to slow the spread, then it is all too likely that our own NHS will be similarly overwhelmed.

'That is why this country has taken the steps that it has, imposing restrictions never seen before either in peace or war. We have closed schools, pubs, bars, restaurants and gyms, and we are asking people to stay and work at home if they possibly can.

'To help businesses and workers through the crisis, we have come up with unprecedented packages of support. All of this is putting our country, and our society, under enormous strain.

'But already this crisis is also bringing out the best in us all – in the army of volunteers that has sprung up to help the vulnerable, in the millions of acts of kindness, in the work of all the people who are continuing to provide essential services – from transport workers to supermarket staff to health and social care workers.

'Yes, this disease is forcing us apart – at least physically. But it is also the crucible in which we are already forging new bonds of togetherness and altruism and sharing. This country will be changed by coronavirus, but there is every reason to think we will come through it stronger and better than ever before.

'And the more effectively we follow the medical advice, the faster we will bounce back to health – medically and economically.

'So this Mother's Day let's do everything we can to show our respect and love to those who gave us life – and minimise the risk to their own lives.

Bit by bit, day by day, we are all helping to delay the spread of the disease and to give our amazing NHS staff the time to prepare for the peak.

'So follow the advice, send your love to your mother by phone or video-call. Stay at home, protect our NHS, and together we will save thousands of lives.'

In a chilling reference to Italy, where the death toll rose by 793 yesterday to 4,825, the Prime Minister said that without a 'heroic and collective national effort to slow the spread', it was likely that 'our own NHS will be similarly overwhelmed'.

The UK had 5,018 confirmed cases of Covid-19 by 9am yesterday, up more than 1,000 from the previous day. Officials said almost 73,000 people have been tested for the virus so far.

To combat the threat, the Government yesterday signed a landmark deal with private hospitals to supply an extra 8,000 hospital beds across England, almost 1,200 more ventilators and 20,000 more staff, including 10,000 nurses and more than 700 doctors.

The Government and health officials have also urged the 1.5 million people in England considered most at risk from the disease because of their health conditions to begin 'shielding' themselves by staying at home.

Letters will go out this week 'strongly advising' them not to go out for at least 12 weeks from Monday.

This is while opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said the UK was not doing enough testing.

Speaking on Sky's Ridge on Sunday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: 'We are doing an increasing amount of testing but it's still not enough.

'Even all NHS haven't been tested, never mind all care staff haven't been tested yet and so how can we accurately know how many cases of coronavirus there actually are?

'What we do know, sadly accurately, is the number of deaths from coronavirus at the moment but we have to be better at testing and provisioning protective equipment.

'NHS staff have not all got full protective equipment at the moment or protective clothing, care staff have almost none at all and care workers, some of whom work in care homes, are obviously at risk but even more at risk are the care workers who are going from house to house of their clients and clearly are in danger of either contracting or spreading the virus.'

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick was grilled on the issue as he appeared on television for the Government this morning.

'We are trying to get more tests. I completely take your point that we need to go further and faster, and production is due to double next week and continue to ramp up thereafter,' he said.

It came as a senior medic warned that doctors and nurses risking their lives every day to treat coronavirus patients feel like 'cannon fodder' because of a lack of protective equipment and testing kits.

Doctors' Association chairman Dr Rinesh Parmar made a direct appeal to Boris Johnson today as he urged him to divert more resources to hospital staff fighting to hold back a flood of cases and save lives.

Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr Programme he said NHS staff dealing with the coronavirus outbreak are still not getting the protective equipment they need.

'We have had doctors tell us they feel like lambs to the slaughter, that they feel like cannon fodder. GPs tell us that they feel absolutely abandoned,' he said.

'We are all pleading with Boris Johnson that they really look into arranging the vital personal protection equipment that all of us need on the NHS frontline.

Mr Jenrick added: 'By this afternoon, every hospital in the country will have the next set of supplies of PPE.

'We've also delivered them to pharmacists and the GP surgeries. This coming week supplies will be delivered to all social care providers.

'We are manufacturing and importing very large quantities now. In recent days we've received almost three million face masks for example.

'PPE will get to the frontline as soon as possible.'

Meanwhile, the Visit Cornwall tourist board published a statement on Friday asking people to postpone their visits to a later date 'despite the lack of clarity from Government' around the situation.

This morning in an interview with BBC Breakfast National Clinical Director for Scotland, professor Jason Leitch also warned against people flooding tourist sites.

He said that UK holiday makers travelling domestically don't have to cancel plans but must continue to carry out social distancing. He added that healthcare services in the Scottish Highlands and islands are not ready for a huge surge in patients.

He said: 'What we don't want is hoards of camper vans coming to Fort William because the health service will not be able to manage that, because some people will get sick.'

In a statement on Saturday, Cumbria Police's assistant chief constable Andrew Slattery said: 'Whilst we are looking at all measures to limit the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, I must urge people living outside the county not to visit.

'A national emergency shut-down of businesses and schools is not an excuse for a holiday.

As of Sunday afternoon there had been 244 deaths in the UK from the coronavirus with cases being spread across the country, stats accurate as of 3.30pm Sunday

Emirates Airline announces it will cancel all commercial flights from Wednesday amid worsening global coronavirus crisis Emirates Airlines has announced it will suspend all passenger flights amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. The Dubai carrier today said it had made the decision amid an 'unprecedented crisis situation.' The airline will temporarily suspend all passenger flights by 25 March. The airline wrote on Twitter: 'Today we made the decision to temporarily suspend all passenger flights by 25 March 2020.' Emirates Airlines has announced it will suspend all passenger flights amid the novel coronavirus outbreak CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said: 'The world has literally gone into quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 'This is an unprecedented crisis situation in terms of breadth and scale: geographically, as well as from a health, social, and economic standpoint.' On Friday, the United Arab Emirates announced the first two deaths from COVID-19 in the country. CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said: 'The world has literally gone into quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak' Advertisement

'Cumbria County Council yesterday urged people to stay at home as far as possible to protect out NHS and save lives. I reiterate that advice and it is important that we all follow it.'

In a statement, Mr Slattery said public services within the county, located in north-west England, are resourced to serve its population of 500,000 and will be 'stretched to breaking point' by the coronavirus pandemic.

'Large numbers of visitors will only place an additional burden on these hard-pushed professionals,' he added.

'These are unprecedented times and our first priority is the protection of life. People's lives must come first.'

Elsewhere, the West Wittering Estate posted a message on its website to say its beach and car park would be closed as remaining open had 'encouraged an unacceptable movement of people' into the local community.

'We understand that the restrictions imposed by the government make us an attractive option for exercise, dog walking, and socialising, but we cannot in good conscience remain open to the public,' it said.

The National Trust's move to shut premises comes just days after they said they would keep many of their gardens and parks open for free allowing people to 'relax and refresh'.

It was also reported today that the death toll in Wales had also gone up. Chief Medical Officer for Wales Dr Frank Atherton confirmed today that 12 people in Wales have died in total, with figures rising overnight by seven.

'My thoughts are with their families and friends, and I ask that their privacy is respected at this very sad time,' Dr Atherton said.

It was also today said that it become 'impossible' to maintain social distancing in Wales and that car parks and trails could be shut due to unprecedented scenes at Snowdonia National Park.

Welsh ministers are believed to be considering legal powers to force people to stay away during the coronavirus outbreak.

Snowdonia National Park Authority chief executive Emyr Williams said: 'The area has been overwhelmed with visitors.

'More worrying still is the significant crowding on the mountain summits and trails making it impossible to maintain effective social distancing.'

Near Bala Lake locals had parked a truck up with the sign 'go home' on the side of it.

The coastal town of Whitby, Yorkshire, packed with tourists ignoring the Governments social distancing advice on saturday afternoon

Pharmacies are currently running critically low of key drugs such as Paracetamol as people rush to stock up on medication High Street chain Boots warned staff on Thursday its warehouses only contain enough supply for another '1.3 weeks', and stocks will be exhausted by the end of trading next week. By Saturday March 28, the company expect to have run out of the painkiller Paracetamol. In an urgent memo to staff, Boots also announced draconian measures to limit the sale of all products 'containing Paracetamol', in each of its 2,500 stores, to just one per person. Halving the industry standard policy of two Paracetamol, Ibuprofen or Aspirin products per customer transaction. The company told staff the decision has been made in order to: 'Help us support as many customers as possible'. UK pharmacies have been placing large orders with pharmaceutical wholesalers to replace stock amid panic buying, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The memo warns staff at retail outlets: 'Our availability on lines which are being driven by Coronavirus is changing daily. Whilst we are continuing to try and secure more stock from suppliers there are lines which are now OOS (Out Of Stock) or with very low forward weeks cover and you may not receive further deliveries for a period of time.' It is illegal to sell more than 100 tablets or capsules of either paracetamol or aspirin in any one retail transaction, and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) guidelines limit sale to two packets per transaction. The Paracetamol crisis comes after the government's chief science officer urged the public to avoid ibuprofen to treat Coronavirus The comments from Sir Patrick Vallance were made earlier this week (Tuesday, 17) as he updated MPs on the UK's approach to tackling the disease. Vallance, the UK's Chief Scientific Advisor, told MPs that amid some uncertainty about its impact: 'The sensible thing at the moment would be to avoid ibuprofen in cases of people who have coronavirus.' A Boots spokesman said: 'We have seen an increase in customers looking to buy paracetamol in our stores, and we're sorry if there may have been limited occasions where we have sold out. We have been working closely with all of our suppliers and have more stock arriving in stores every day. To ensure we can support as many people as possible, there is currently a limit of two units per customer on hand sanitisers, soap and hand wash, pain relief products, cough and cold, all children's medicines, thermometers, tissues and hand wipes, baby milks, baby sterilising and antibacterial products, and hand creams. There is also a limit of one unit per customer for products containing paracetamol.' Advertisement

National Trust director general Hilary McGrady said: 'Despite our desire to keep our outdoor spaces open, the health and wellbeing of our staff, volunteers and visitors has to be our top priority.

'Having observed the numbers visiting our properties today I am no longer convinced we can maintain social distancing over Mother's Day when numbers are likely to grow, and beyond.'

This is while there was chaos at airports as tourists continue to arrive at airports across the UK.

Passengers from Italy, China and Iran have arrived a Gatwick and Heathrow this week, even as the UK went in to lockdown, shutting bars, cafes, restaurants and banning mass gatherings.

Planes have arrived in London from Rome, Beijing and Shanghai every day this week. Direct flights from Rome are also still due to arrive next week.

The route between London and Rome has remained open despite British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair cancelling all flights between Italy and Britain.

This week Italy surpassed China, where the outbreak emerged last December, as the country with the most deaths after fatalities soared to more than 4,800. The Italian government also increased its lockdown measures as a result.

Iran Air is still operating three flights a week from the capital Tehran and in the last seven days three Iranian aircraft landed at Heathrow.

Iran has the third-highest coronavirus death toll with more than 1,500 fatalities.

On Saturday two Air China flights from Beijing and a China Eastern jet from Shanghai landed at Heathrow, while a flight from Shanghai arrived at Gatwick.

This afternoon, a flight from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, is due to arrive at Heatrow Airport at around 3pm this afternoon.

At least 16 flights landed at Heathrow from Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome since March 15. A further three are due to land today.

Since last Sunday, 11 Air China Dreamliner jets landed at Heathrow from Beijing Capital International Airport.

Travellers coming from China, Iran and Italy with symptoms of the virus are supposed to be stopped from boarding.

On arrival in Britain passengers from these countries are supposed self-isolate for 14 days, although there is no way of actually enforcing this policy.

Last week the European Union banned nearly all travellers from outside the bloc for 30 days as a measure to try and halt the spread of the disease that has sent many countries around the continent into lockdown.

The Foreign Office advised Britons last week not to travel anywhere abroad unless it was essential.

Non-EU countries, such as India and Kazakhstan, suspended Iran Air flights last week when the crisis in the country deepened.

Former Secretary of State for Environment, Theresa Villiers, alerted the government to the issue of flights from Tehran after constituents of Iranian descent contacted her about it.

She told the Sunday Times: 'The time has come to suspend routine air travel from Iran. I have raised this issue with the foreign secretary and I would now urge him to take this step.'

A spokesman for the government said: 'There is no evidence that interventions like closing borders or travel bans would have any effect on the spread of infection.'

EasyJet and Ryanair will ground the majority of their fleets from next Tuesday as travel bans around the world kick in.

Other airlines including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Norwegian and Jet2 have cut schedules to as little as 10 per cent of normal levels.

Talks are continuing between the Department for Transport and the Treasury about a rescue deal for airlines and airports, with an announcement thought to be imminent.

Virgin Atlantic said staff had agreed to take eight weeks of unpaid leave over the next three months, with the salary docked from workers' pay over six months so their income does not dry up.

All 10,000 employees of the company, founded and controlled by Richard Branson, will also be offered voluntary redundancy.

On Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close in a bid to impact the infection rate by reducing 'unnecessary' social gatherings by 75%.

'More will die unless people stay at home': Mayor Sadiq Khan hits out at Londoners and tells them to stop socialising as he launches furious rant at the government for 'not letting him attend Cobra meetings' London Mayor Sadiq Khan has slammed the government for 'not letting him attend Cobra meetings' as he declares Londoners need to stay in doors to 'protect the ones they love' amid the coronavirus outbreak. As the UK death toll reached 233, with 5,018 people infected, pubs, clubs, restaurants and other social venues have shut their doors to customers in order to stave off the deadly infection. Despite this many Londoners continued to leave their homes this weekend with many taking to parks across the city to socialise with friends and family members. London is the worst hit city in the UK and Mr Khan today claimed he has been lobbying Boris Johnson's government in order for stricter measures to be implemented across the capital. There have been 51 deaths in the capital and 1,221 confirmed cases of the illness. Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show this morning, Mr Khan was questioned on whether or not Londoners had understood how serious the situation in the capital currently is. 'I am clear, life has changed and we have to do things differently for a while now. 'Social interaction will spread the virus. Do shopping for elderly neighbours, only buy what you need.' He added that people needed to practice social distancing for their vulnerable loved ones and said if people didn't then they 'will die'. Marr said there had been a clear 'change in tone' after the government had initially allowed pubs and restaurants to continue to run before it ordered them to close on Friday night. 'My frustration with government is that only last Monday they allowed me to attend Cobra, things are worse in London, if we don't keep our social distance people will die. I'm working from home and others should too.' Asked whether or not parks and other public places should be closed, Mr Khan said people need to recognise the severity of the situation. 'I have been lobbying the government. 'There are instructions and rules we need to obey to stop people dying. Making sure there is no confusion or mixed messages, people should not be leaving their homes unless they have to, they can walk dogs or exercise, but mixing socially leads to more people dying.' He added that emergency bills that will go through parliament next week will give additional powers to police in order to allow them to enforce stricter rules upon the public and social gatherings. 'Unless people stay at home and stop using public transport then more people will die. 'Please stop mixing and stay at home.' He said public transport should only be used for critical workers and said his office has now implemented an 'enhanced cleaning regime on all TfL estates'. Advertisement

In a statement, the Visit Cornwall website posted: 'Despite the lack of clarity from the Government, Visit Cornwall is advising that visitors should not come to Cornwall at this time.'

This morning London Mayor Sadiq Khan also told Londoners that they needed to stay in doors to stop people dying.

London is the worst hit city in the UK and Mr Khan today claimed he has been lobbying Boris Johnson's government in order for stricter measures to be implemented across the capital.

There have been 51 deaths in the capital and 1,221 confirmed cases of the illness.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show this morning, Mr Khan was questioned on whether or not Londoners had understood how serious the situation in the capital currently is.

'I am clear, life has changed and we have to do things differently for a while now.

'Social interaction will spread the virus. Do shopping for elderly neighbours, only buy what you need.'

He added that people needed to practice social distancing for their vulnerable loved ones and said if people didn't then they 'will die'.

Marr said there had been a clear 'change in tone' after the government had initially allowed pubs and restaurants to continue to run before it ordered them to close on Friday night.

'My frustration with government is that only last Monday they allowed me to attend Cobra, things are worse in London, if we don't keep our social distance people will die. I'm working from home and others should too.'

Asked whether or not parks and other public places should be closed, Mr Khan said people need to recognise the severity of the situation.

'I have been lobbying the government.

'There are instructions and rules we need to obey to stop people dying. Making sure there is no confusion or mixed messages, people should not be leaving their homes unless they have to, they can walk dogs or exercise, but mixing socially leads to more people dying.'

He added that emergency bills that will go through parliament next week will give additional powers to police in order to allow them to enforce stricter rules upon the public and social gatherings.

'Unless people stay at home and stop using public transport then more people will die.

'Please stop mixing and stay at home.'

He said public transport should only be used for critical workers and said his office has now implemented an 'enhanced cleaning regime on all TfL estates'.

'The advice at the moment is not to give them masks, if the advice changes then of course we will change this. But the NHS still don't have what they need.

'Stay at home unless you have good reason to leave your home, it's important everyone works from home'.

There has been much speculation on whether or not London, a 'city of super spreaders' would be locked down due to the rapid spread of the virus.

Mr Khan added: 'We are a global city, we have connectivity around the country and density. All of us need to follow the advice, we are running a weekend service during the week.

'No one else apart from critical workers should be using public transport.