
Brits are threatening to boycott JD Wetherspoon today after its chairman refused to shut pubs and claimed there have been 'no transmissions of coronavirus in bars'.

Conservative Party donor and Wetherspoon CEO Tim Martin sparked fury as he said closing pubs was 'over the top' in spite of warnings from the government's chief scientific adviser that they are a breeding ground for the virus.

Mr Martin told the BBC that a 'sensible balance' was for pubs to implement 'social distancing' measures, like no standing at the bar, using cards and sitting at separate tables.

He sparked further outrage as he told Sky that supermarkets posed more of a danger than pubs.

Mr Martin, 64, also said that he would take the opportunity to catch the coronavirus under the right conditions, adding: 'If someone offered me the opportunity now to have it under supervised conditions, I think I'd probably take it because your chances are very, very good.'

The Prime Minister has since been slammed for 'sending confusing messages which cost lives' after urging people to stay away from pubs - but failing to criticise the Wetherspoon chairman.

Boris Johnson's deputy official spokesman simply said the government has, 'been clear about the importance of social distancing'.

Asked if he was nervous about criticising political supporters of Boris Johnson, the spokesman said: 'We've based all our decisions on the best scientific evidence and we will continue to do so.'

The PM this week was met with anger from the hospitality industry as he told people not to visit pubs, clubs and cafes - but stopped short of closing them, meaning venues are losing footfall and cannot claim insurance.

The Mayor of London has since threatened to ban people from pubs, warning he will 'infringe' human rights if necessary.

Meanwhile, foolhardy revellers continue to flock to pubs and clubs across the country as they ignore calls urging social distancing to prevent the spread of the disease.

The JJ Moon's in Tooting, south London, was packed with punters at lunchtime today

Drinkers seemed unfazed by the advice at JJ Moon's in Tooting this afternoon - as the Mayor of London warned he would ban people from pubs

CEO Tim Martin, pictured here with the Prime Minister last July, said today that closing pubs was 'over the top' in spite of warnings from the government's chief scientific adviser that bars are a breeding ground for the deadly virus

Twitter users last night slammed people they had seen across Britain ignoring pleas to stay at home and help control the spread of coronavirus

Stop going to the pub or I'll BAN you: Mayor of London slams people for still going to bars The Mayor of London has hit out at people who continue to go to pubs and use public transport, warning he will 'infringe' their human rights if necessary. Sadiq Khan said 'liberties and human rights need to be changed, curtailed, infringed' in order to protect people and prevent further coronavirus deaths. He threatened to ban people from going to the pub and cafés in his stark address to the London Assembly last night. The Mayor said he was concerned that people were still not doing enough to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. He said: 'Our liberties and human rights need to be changed, curtailed, infringed — use whatever word you want. 'I am concerned about people not following the advice. 'There are still too many people being witnessed on our streets, in our bars, in our cafés, using the Tube, using our buses.' The Mayor said he would be working from home, 'wherever possible', to 'set the best possible example' as he told Londoners to do the same. Mr Khan added: 'The advice from the government is just advice, and I think that provides a mixed message. 'We may move to a situation where we move from advice to bans. 'I can't say this clearly enough. People should not be travelling by any means unless they absolutely must. The scientific advice on this is very clear. 'Londoners should be avoiding social interaction unless absolutely necessary, and this includes avoiding using the transport network.' The mayor told the London Assembly that all residents of the capital should 'strictly follow' the official advice and added that he would be working from home as much as possible. He said: 'We are clearly still in the early phase of this crisis but the spread of the virus is at a more advanced stage in London than in other parts of the country. 'This means that further measures will need to be introduced at the point at which they will have the biggest effect. 'I can assure Londoners that this is under constant review by the experts.' Mr Khan also suggested transport in the capital could be scaled back even further. It has already been announced that up to 40 stations which do not interchange with other lines could be closed while the Waterloo and City line and Night Tube services will not run from Friday. Advertisement

Mr Martin told Sky: 'Supermarkets are very, very crowded. Pubs are much less crowded. There's hardly been any transmission of the virus within pubs and I think it's over the top to shut them.

'That's a commercial view but also a common sense view.'

Mr Martin also compared his chain of pubs to Parliament, where MPs are still sitting, though only those with questions were allowed into Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.

'Our main desire is that pubs should remain open, rather in the way that Parliament has remained open,' he said.

'You'd be aghast if every MP was sitting next to every other MP, but it's right that it should stay open on a sensible basis.'

He said that 'reasonable social distancing' would happen automatically in Wetherspoons as the number of punters drop.

Mr Martin also said that he could introduce rules which prevent people from standing at the bar, and getting staff to clean down the surfaces twice an hour.

Mr Martin also said that one of his pubs had introduced a regulars-only policy. This would not be possible to roll-out to all Wetherspoons outlets, but it is 'one of a variety of moves' available to management.

'Closure is much more draconian, and we don't think that it brings health benefits, and it certainly doesn't bring economic benefits,' he added.

Startling new data released on Wednesday night shows 29 percent of the first 2,500 cases of coronavirus in America were people between the ages of 20 and 44.

Of that number, 20 percent were hospitalised and 12 percent put in intensive care units. Some 55 percent of the cases were all under the age of 65.

Social media users have criticised Mr Martin's 'grossly irresponsible' stance and for 'putting money before health'.

The hashtag, '#BoycottWetherspoons' is now trending on Twitter.

Many have urged him to use his platform in the same way as celebrities including Kylie Jenner, who has encouraged youngsters to stay at home.

Labour MP David Lammy tweeted: 'Yesterday the government's Chief Scientific Adviser said 'mixing in pubs and restaurants needs to stop'.

'Today the government is refusing to condemn Weatherspoon's owner Tim Martin for suggesting the opposite. Confusing messages will cost lives. Pubs and restaurants must close.'

Mr Martin added falling sales at the chain have dropped further after the Prime Minister told punters to stay at home and not visit Britain's pubs.

The pub chain said that sales, which had risen by 3.2% in the previous six weeks, started falling by 4.5% in the week ending March 15, as the coronavirus pandemic scared customers off.

The decline picked up even further when the Prime Minister told people that it was vital they do not visit pubs in order to slow the spread of the highly infectious disease.

But despite warnings from the government's chief scientific adviser urging young people to stop going to the pub, he refused to close his bars, sparking anger among many.

He told Sky: 'Our aim is for pubs open for the duration. This could go on for a long time. I think that once you shut them down it's very difficult.'

Asked about Mr Martin's decision to keep his pubs open, the Prime Minister's deputy official spokesman said: 'We have been clear throughout that every decision that has been made, and will be made, has been made based on the best scientific advice.

'That will continue – we have heard the chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser talk about social distancing and we will continue to act on scientific advice.

'We have been clear about the need for social distancing. We have asked the public to do what they have to do, and we have been clear on the reasons for doing that.'

The government's chief scientific adviser begged young people to stop going to the pub and claims the UK cannot beat coronavirus if they keep flouting home confinement rules. Sir Patrick Vallance slammed young people's complacency and said 'mixing' in bars and restaurants 'needs to stop' because it is allowing the disease run rampant. Pictured, this graphic shows how pubs can be a breeding ground for the virus - from friends chatting while potentially carrying Covid-19, to glasses being passed from barman to punter

Social distancing advice seemed to be ignored at the Imperial Wetherspoons pub in Exeter, Devon today

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said 'liberties and human rights need to be changed, curtailed, infringed' in order to protect people and prevent further coronavirus deaths.

He threatened to ban people from going to the pub and cafés in his stark address to the London Assembly last night.

Britain's Chief Medical Officer, meanwhile, has warned young adults they will not 'breeze through' coronavirus.

Chris Whitty said: 'It is clear that children get this disease much less strongly than adults, I think the data on that is pretty strong now, and it certainly is the case that the majority of those that end up dying sadly are people who tend to be either in the later part of their lives, usually quite elderly, or those with pre-existing health conditions.

'But there are also some young people who have ended up in intensive care or who have ended up with severe disease around the world.

'I think it's important that we don't give the impression that every single person who is young and healthy is just going to breeze through this.'

A Wetherspoon press release at The Grove branch, in Stratford, makes clear Mr Martin's response to Boris Johnson's guidance earlier this week. He tells customers a lockdown would be a 'tactical error', adding the impact on the hospitality industry would be 'colossal'

Tim Martin: The barrister who was called to the bar but swapped law to prop the bar up instead Tim Martin, a trained barrister who was called to the Bar in 1979, joked that he quit law to make his £560million fortune propping up the bar instead. Beneath the Brexit bluster and pub banter is the shrewd founder of a £1.6billion pub and hotels group whose shares have gone up around 300 per cent over the past decade. Martin, 64, has some 870 Wetherspoon pubs across the UK and Ireland. JD Wetherspoon's sales for the year to July 26 are forecast to rise to £1.9billion, up from £1.8billion, with pre-tax profits broadly flat at around £100million. Martin played a leading role in campaigning for Brexit and as the City's most outspoken critic of the EU, he donated £224,000 to the Brexit Party. He also donated £50,000 to Boris Johnson's Election campaign, when the Tories pledged to keep pubs open in neglected towns and villages outside London. He has been married to wife Felicity since 1982 with four children, aged between 28 and mid-30s. His father worked for Guinness and his grandfather for Allied Breweries. He qualified as a barrister in 1979 but took over his local North London pub six weeks before being called to the Bar and founded Wetherspoons. Martin named the company after his primary school teacher then added 'JD' because it was the nickname for Boss Hogg (Jefferson Davis Hogg) in the American TV series The Dukes Of Hazzard. Advertisement

And the government's chief scientific adviser begged young people to stop going to the pub and claims the UK cannot beat coronavirus if they keep flouting home confinement rules.

Sir Patrick Vallance slammed young people's complacency and said 'mixing' in bars and restaurants 'needs to stop' because it is allowing the disease run rampant.

Sir Vallance warned a coronavirus vaccine was still at least six months away and said the only way the outbreak could be delayed until then was if everyone stuck to the Government's tough new social restrictions.

His plea came after Britons were filmed partying into the early hours in packed pubs and nightclubs around the country this week, defying ministers.

Social media users slammed drinkers pictured last night out and about in Leeds.

Jeremiah Hyde wrote: 'Shocking isn't it!? Some London pubs are packed. Dangerous irresponsible idiocy.'

Another, @Etherea68347170, added: 'People aren't exercising social distancing, bars are packed! Please Boris, for the love of God... and your people... shut the pubs!'

Will Saville commented: 'People are so stupid going into pubs, clubs, gyms.

'So selfish when the NHS are warning people against social contact yet people are quite happy to be packed into one place.'

On Monday, Boris Johnson ordered the country to avoid socialising, going to work or using public transport indefinitely in a desperate bid to contain the escalating crisis.

So far the highly contagious coronavirus has officially killed at least 177 people in the UK and infected 2,695. Experts estimate the true number of infections to be over 80,000.

People have been criticised for ignoring social distancing guidelines, including these drinkers in Leeds

BORIS JOHNSON SAYS BRITAIN 'CAN TURN THE TIDE ON CORONAVIRUS' Boris Johnson insisted Britain can 'turn the tide' on coronavirus Boris Johnson yesterday insisted Britain can 'turn the tide' on coronavirus within 12 weeks - but issued a stark plea for Londoners to be stricter in obeying the advice on 'social isolation'. The PM said he knew how much was being asked of the public as he insisted he was confident the outbreak can be 'sent packing'. He said it was 'absolutely vital' to follow guidance on staying out of bars and cafes, and avoiding unnecessary contact. But he warned that obedience of the rules was 'patchy' in some part of London, hinting that there will need to be a tougher crackdown soon - although he stressed it would not be a total lockdown. 'It is vital that people follow that advice and there is huge evidence that they are,' Mr Johnson said. 'But (there is) some evidence that in some parts of the capital it is very patchy and some areas where perhaps people aren't following it in quite the way we need them to. 'We may have to consider going further.' Mr Johnson also suggested he wanted to ramp up testing massively. After promising to increase the daily rate from around 5,000 to 25,000, he has now said that figure coudl rise to 250,000. 'We are massively increasing the testing to see whether you have it now, and ramping up daily testing from 5,000 a day, to 10,000 to 25,000 and then up at 250,000,' he said. Mr Johnson said the UK was ready to buy hundreds of thousands of kits for an antibody test that would reveal who had been through the virus and had a level of immunity. And he said the first UK patient was going through a randomised trial of a drug to treat coronavirus. There are growing fears that the capital is driving the spread of the outbreak, with around a third of total infections detected there and many more in the commuter belt bordering the city. The government has insisted London will not be completely cut off from the rest of the country, with 'zero' prospect' of trains in and out of the capital being axed, and 'no plans' to shut down the Tube system entirely, although services have been pared back. Advertisement

VACCINE WILL TAKE LONGER THAN SIX MONTHS, UK'S CMO WARNS Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty admitted today a vaccine would not 'come to the rescue' in six months as he admitted the coronavirus was now here to stay. He told the SMC briefing in London: 'However much we would like there to be a vaccine riding to the rescue in six months time. 'Currently, we think that's improbable. So now we've got to work on a different theoretical framework for actually managing this epidemic.' Professor Whitty added that eradicating the disease in a matter of months war near-impossible. He said: 'It is our judgement, and it is my judgement certainly, if you look around the world, the idea that we're going to put this virus back to going away and completely whilst not theoretically impossible, seems so improbable that based on scientific theory that is something we are trying to do. Seems to me a mistake.' Professor Whitty said normal public health responses to a disease, like those used to isolate ebola in West Africa were no longer likely to be effective against what was now a global pandemic virus. He said those tools such as containing and isolating infected people might work for some countries but the stage of the epidemic in the UK had gone beyond that position. Advertisement

Sir Patrick told the briefing organised by the respected Science Media Centre: 'It's really important... unless everybody looks at the measures that have been introduced by the Government on trying to encourage social distancing, unless everybody does that, it doesn't have the effect.

'What we absolutely shouldn't encourage is the idea that young people can somehow ignore it [social distancing] because they're going to be fine [if they catch it].

'The mixing in pubs and restaurants is really part of allowing the disease to spread. It needs to stop among young people - as well as older people.'

At the same press briefing, Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty, also urged young people not to get complacent about catching the virus.

He admitted it was mostly older people and those with chronic conditions, but pointed to a small number of young people who've ended up in intensive care.

Professor Whitty said: 'It is clear that children get this disease much less strongly than adults, I think the data on that is pretty strong now, and it certainly is the case that the majority of those that end up dying sadly are people who tend to be either in the later part of their lives, usually quite elderly, or those with pre-existing health conditions.

'But there are also some young people who have ended up in intensive care or who have ended up with severe disease around the world.

'I think it's important that we don't give the impression that every single person who is young and healthy is just going to breeze through this.'

He added the 'great majority' of people will suffer no symptoms or mild to moderate symptoms, but a very small proportion of young people 'will have severe disease even though they are young and healthy'.

Professor Whitty continued: 'It's important we're clear in not trying to say 'really, really worry', but we also need to be clear in saying this is not a trivial infection for everybody, even if they are a young adult.'

The CMO admitted there were 'significant health and social downsides' to strict social distancing measures, which discouraged the Government from implementing them sooner.

Ministers' original 'contain and delay' strategy was given the green light because the downsides of social restrictions did not outweigh the upsides, he added.

But Professor Whitty said that the crisis had now escalated so much that the consensus had changed.

When asked about long-term strategy he added: 'Clearly a vaccine is one way out of this but we don't expect that to happen quickly. Globally... science will help us over time.'

Professor Whitty and Sir Patrick agreed that a vaccine would not 'come to the rescue' in six months, and it was likely to take far longer.

Professor Whitty said: 'However much we would like there to be a vaccine riding to the rescue in six months time.

'Currently, we think that's improbable. So now we've got to work on a different theoretical framework for actually managing this epidemic.'

In a bid to delay the peak until then, ministers are mulling a decision to put London into total lockdown within days.

Some 20,000 troops were put on standby overnight and the Prime Minister refused to rule out the possibility of 'further and faster measures' to control the spread of the virus on the busy streets of the capital, where the epidemic is running ahead of the rest of the country.

WHAT SHOULD EVERYONE BE DOING TO STOP THE CORONAVIRUS SPREADING? Avoid social contact

Work from home if possible

Avoid pubs, clubs, theatres and other social venues

If someone in your household has symptoms of coronavirus (cough, fever or unusual shortness of breath), everyone in the home self-isolate for 14 days

If isolating, only go outside for exercise, and do it away from other people

Ask for help with daily necessities like food and medical supplies

If that is not possible - for example if you live in a remote area - you should limit social contact as much as possible

Vulnerable groups should self-isolate for 12 weeks from this weekend even if they have no symptoms – This includes people aged 70 and over and other adults who would normally be advised to have the flu vaccination, including people with chronic diseases such as chronic heart disease or chronic kidney disease, and pregnant women. A full list is here

All unnecessary visits to friends and relatives in care homes should end

Continue to take your children to school unless they or someone else in your home has symptoms of the coronavirus (cough, fever or unusual shortness of breath)

Londoners need to socially distance and work from home even more than the rest of the UK because the disease is more widespread there

Mass gatherings should not happen – they will no longer receive emergency services' protection if they do go ahead Advertisement

Mr Johnson said 'ruthless' enforcement of so-called social distancing measures – such as working from home and avoiding social gatherings in pubs, cinemas and restaurants – was needed.

Professor Whitty added that eradicating the disease in a matter of months war near-impossible.

He said: 'It is our judgement, and it is my judgement certainly, if you look around the world, the idea that we're going to put this virus back to going away and completely whilst not theoretically impossible, seems so improbable that based on scientific theory that is something we are trying to do. Seems to me a mistake.'

Professor Whitty said normal public health responses to a disease, like those used to isolate ebola in West Africa were no longer likely to be effective against what was now a global pandemic virus.

He said those tools such as containing and isolating infected people might work for some countries but the stage of the epidemic in the UK had gone beyond that position.

When asked about different strains of the virus, Professor Whitty said 'with a strong caveat of scientific speculation' that it was expected to mutate.

He said there was a chance that the virus could mutate 'around the vaccine', but that some mutations could be 'actually useful'.

'Smaller mutations... help to track family trees of the virus,' said Prof Whitty, adding that this would help scientists to understand and tackle the disease.

Sir Patrick added that the UK was 'absolutely world-class' in addressing viral mutations.

Professor Whitty also warned that Britons will die both directly and indirectly during the epidemic.

He said: 'People die in these epidemics... for two reasons. They die directly of the infection, unavoidably, best medical care, sadly this is still going to happen for some people.

'But also they can die because the health service they are in is overwhelmed and therefore there's an indirect death because there's a difference between what could happen with health and what we were able to provide in this situation.'

On reducing the peak of the infection, he added: 'It has an additional advantage, if you let an epidemic run its full course you get what's called overshoot where more people get infected than you would need if it were to run at a lower peak.

'Actually by lowering the peak you reduce the overall number of people who will get the infection.'