The British government has issued advice that people should avoid all non-essential foreign travel for 30 days as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the "fast-changing international circumstances" of the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, required changes to the official travel advice.
He said he had taken the decision to advise British nationals against non-essential travel globally for an initial period of 30 days, effective immediately.
Britons who travel abroad should be "fully aware of the increased risks of doing so", the FCO [Foreign and Commonwealth Office] said.
"That includes the risk that they may not be able to get home, if travel restrictions are put in place.
"Anyone still considering travel to be realistic about the level of disruption they are willing and able to endure, and to make decisions in light of the unprecedented conditions we face."
At this stage, the FCO is not currently advising all British people abroad to return home, except for a small number of countries already contained in its travel advice.
It comes as the number of coronavirus cases in the UK reached 1,950 - up 407 in 24 hours.
The latest figures come after a new document published by the COVID-19 team at London's Imperial College - which is advising the government on its coronavirus response - warns the current public health threat is the "most serious" from a respiratory virus since the Spanish Flu in 1918.
They advised the UK adopts a strategy of "epidemic suppression" - for a period of potentially 18 months or more - rather than "mitigation".
Yesterday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said people need to avoid pubs, clubs, restaurants and theatres and to only make essential journeys in the "national fightback" against coronavirus.
Reporting by IRN
