Dominic Raab, stand-in leader for the UK, said the order was to prevent new outbreaks of the virus.
The United Kingdom has extended its nationwide lockdown for three weeks to stop the spread of Coronavirus.
Dominic Raab, stand-in leader for the UK, said the order was to prevent new outbreaks of the virus.
Raab is deputising while Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, recuperates from COVID-19 complications.
“Relaxing any of the measures currently in place would risk damage to both public health and the economy,” he said on Thursday.
The UK has the fifth-highest official death toll from COVID-19 in the world, after the United States, Italy, Spain and France.
The announcement, which had been widely expected, means Britons must stay at home unless they are shopping for basic necessities or meeting medical needs.
Citizens are allowed to exercise in public once a day, and can travel to work if they are unable to work from home.