The UK's pubs, restaurants, gyms and cinemas have been told to close down as the coronavirus surges across Britain

• The UK's bars, restaurants, gyms and cinemas will all close as the city heads towards coronavirus lockdown.
• Further restrictions could be imposed on shops and other premises if the crisis escalates.
• Read the latest on plans to lockdown London here.

The UK's bars, restaurants, gyms and cinemas will all be forced to close as the city heads towards lockdown following a surge of coronavirus cases in the UK capital.

Many Brits had ignored official government advice to avoid socialising and stay at home leading Prime Minister Boris Johnson to order the restrictions on Friday.

"We need to push down further on this curve," Johnson said.

The move came as the number of COVID-19 cases continued to surge ahead of the rest of the United Kingdom.

18 deaths from the virus were recorded at London hospitals in the past 24 hours alone, with Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow declaring a critical incident

A senior director at one London acute trust told the Health Services Journal that the scale of the crisis in London was escalating faster than anticipated.

"Given we're in the low foothills of this virus, this is f***ing petrifying," the individual said.

The latest move could be followed by tougher action if the crisis escalates, UK government sources have told Business Insider.

However, a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday denied some of the previously reported details about plans for a London-specific lockdown.

"There are no plans to close down the transport network in London and there is zero prospect of any restriction being placed on travelling in or out of London," the spokesperson said.

They also dismissed reports that there would be limits on the number of people allowed out of their homes at any time as "not true" and said there were "no plans" to use the army to maintain public order.