Millions of workers in Britain stayed home today as commuters found car parks empty, train carriages deserted and seats available amid the coronavirus crisis.
It comes after the Prime Minister said people with even mild symptoms, including a continuous cough or high temperature, must stay at home for at least seven days.
Boris Johnson’s guidance was issued yesterday with between 5,000 and 10,000 people in the UK already thought to be infected with Covid-19.
Some 61 per cent of companies currently allow their staff to work remotely, meaning as many as 20million UK workers could be working from home today.
London Bridge station is very quiet this morning as more people start to work from home
An empty train from Edinburgh Waverley to London King’s Cross this morning
Manchester Piccadilly train station is quiet at 8.30am this morning as workers stay at home
Arriving at Manchester Piccadilly train station this morning was project manager Rizwan Atcha, 37, who told MailOnline: ‘I’ve come from Bolton, the train was eerie.
‘Normally you can’t get any space but today there was more than usual. I’m assuming that was because of the virus.
‘I have driven to Manchester before but it takes twice as long. In terms of taking the risk I’m ready to meet my maker.’
Nick Parker, 44, a mortgage lender from Buckingham, said: ‘I come through from Milton Keynes once or twice a week.
‘It was quieter than normal and so was the station, no one was acting strangely but that’s because there was only about four people in the carriage. You’ve just got to get on with things.’
Leszek Monouszko, 34, a flight attendant from Dubai, added: ‘I’ve come on the train from Manchester Airport, I came into Manchester yesterday as I work as a flight attendant.
‘I’m worried for my work but my health not so much. I think people our age should not be worried so much.’
Mini Setty, a partner in employment law at Langleys Solicitors said: ‘As the UK attempts to delay the peak of the virus, millions of Britons are getting ready to work from home and considering ways to ‘socially distance’ themselves from others.
‘Thousands of businesses, are frantically making plans to better enable remote working during this time, setting up conference facilities to connect businesses with their clients and putting in place operational strategies in the event a member of their workforce tests positive for COVID-19 or their offices have to shut.
Twitter user David King used an almost empty Southeastern train into London St Pancras today
An empty platform at Farringdon train station on the London Underground this morning
An empty platform at London Paddington train station this morning, which serves the West
‘An IWG Global Workplace survey found 61 per cent of companies currently allow their staff to work remotely, meaning as many as 20 million UK workers already can work from home as pandemic worsens and the safeguarding measures continue.
‘If schools and universities are asked to close by the Government, the number of people working from home will surge in the coming days.’
Meanwhile in the West Midlands, Birmingham New Street train station was busy as usual but passengers spoke of ’emptier trains’ and lots of ‘hand sanitizer’.
Paul Burne, 35, a father of two who works as a sales manager, said he had to reduce his travelling due to coronavirus.
He said: ‘I travel almost every day because of my work and I think trains are as busy as always, I can’t see a massive amount of change.
‘I haven’t seen many people taking any precautions apart from hand sanitizer. I try to be as hygienic as possible. I’m more careful of what I eat and try to keep fit and healthy.
‘I have already reduced my trips as much as I could, but am a bit more reluctant to travel to London due to the congestion so overall I’ve made some slight changes.’
Sophie Pearce, 18, a student, said: ‘I travel every day to go to college so I think I am more at risk. There are so many people on the train and you don’t know who’s washed their hands or not, who’s got it or not.
‘I would certainly not take the train at all and stay home if I could. Trains are busy as always I don’t think people have stopped travelling because of coronavirus’.
Another student, Jasmine Gardener, 18, said: ‘There aren’t many people taking precautions. I’ve only seen a few using hand sanitizer- as soon as someone coughs though, you notice everyone turning around.
‘I use hand sanitizer and wash my hands but I’m not that worried yet. If I could stay at home I would though, just because I get the train every day.’
The Government has now ordered school trips to be stopped and people over 70 with serious medical conditions not to go on cruises.
Officials have also warned the advice is likely to develop so that entire households could be told to self-isolate.
The Government said it would not move to close schools yet as the evidence for its effectiveness is lacking, though this will be kept under review.
It is also considering banning large events, mostly due to the burden such events place on public services.
High-profile people to be diagnosed with Covid-19 include Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta and BT boss Philip Jansen.
Chelsea’s full squad has also gone into self-isolation after winger Callum Hudson-Odoi tested positive for coronavirus.
England’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, said the peak of the outbreak is most likely still 10 to 14 weeks away.
He said it is feared people will become ‘fatigued’ by more stringent measures if they are brought in too soon and therefore they would lose their maximum effect.
A passenger wears a face mask as he walks through London Bridge station this morning
London Bridge train station appeared deserted during the Friday morning rush hour at 7.30am
A cleaner wipes down ticket barriers at a quiet London Bridge train station this morning
Few passengers can be seen walking through London Bridge Station at 7.30am this morning
The number of people who have tested positive for the virus in the UK rose to 596 while the death toll in British hospitals is ten.
A Rail Delivery Group spokesman said: ‘Our primary focus during the coronavirus outbreak is to keep our passengers and our people safe, and the country moving.
‘While the government is not advising people to avoid public transport, unless they are showing symptoms of coronavirus, and rail companies are enhancing their cleaning on trains and at stations, we are seeing fewer people choosing to travel.’
Popular sites in London such as the Tate Modern and Tower of London have also been left deserted, along with shopping areas of Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street.
The Tate Modern’s iconic Turbine Hall was almost empty. The art gallery usually gets more than 15,000 visitors each day, according to the latest figures.
The National Theatre appeared deserted, despite several matinee showings. Staff members running a carousel by the London Eye said they feared they could go bust.
Tooley Road is almost empty outside London Bridge station this morning, taken at 7.30am
Empty public areas in the London Bridge area at about 8am this morning
Some commuters wear face masks as they cross London Bridge at about 8.30am this morning
Empty pathways next to the River Thames this morning, with Tower Bridge in the background
At the Shard – a chance to see a view of London from the UK’s highest building – only a couple of people waited in line, and staff members tried to hawk people from the street.
The Tower of London, where visitors wait to see the Crown Jewels, was also deserted. A tour guide said: ‘For the last two days it has been really quiet.’
She added that the tourist attraction had ‘contingency plans’ in place as more stringent measures in place. Meanwhile there was no queue at St Paul’s Cathedral.
Many venues have slapped up signs warning people to wash their hands more frequently, and be wary of the Coronavirus.
Meanwhile it emerged that a London Underground driver has tested positive for coronavirus. The man, who works on the Tube’s Jubilee Line, had been off work this week after returning from holiday in Vietnam.
An internal message to staff said the driver, based at the North Greenwich depot, had been self-isolating but had tested positive for Covid-19.
‘The operator is receiving support from health services and is continuing to follow Public Health England (PHE) advice to self-isolate.
A quiet Manchester Piccadilly station this morning, in a photograph taken at about 8.30am
Railway workers watch on at a quiet Manchester Piccadilly station at 8.30am this morning
‘The train operator has recently returned from a trip abroad, where it is thought the illness may have been contracted,’ said the memo.
A Transport for London spokesman said the driver was receiving support from health services, adding that he was not working in a customer-facing area.
‘The safety of our staff and customers is our top priority and we are taking all necessary precautions.
‘The areas where the driver worked are being cleaned, including the depot and the trains, in line with guidance from Public Health England with whom we are working closely.’
TfL has introduced an enhanced cleaning regime using additional substances to prevent the spread of the deadly virus on the city’s public transport.
The busiest stations and key interchanges are to being cleaned more regularly – even during the day.
And TfL is at the final stages of testing a new, long-lasting cleaning agent that would provide anti-viral protection for up to 30 days.
It hopes to begin using the new cleaner in the next couple of weeks, alongside specialist hygiene back-pack equipment to spray disinfectant across the network.