THE Government is advising the public to work from home if they can once again following the recent rise in coronavirus cases.

While that was the message from 10 Downing Street earlier in the pandemic, the Government had been encouraging workers back into the office in recent weeks.

It was a move seen as critical for the survival of cafes and other businesses which rely on commuters and office workers.

But appearing on Sky News this morning, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove accepted that advice had now been dropped, admitting there was now a ‘shift in emphasis’.

He added: “If it is possible for people to work from home then we would encourage them to do so.”

Last night, it was confirmed that a 10pm curfew would come into effect for pubs, bars and restaurants across England from Thursday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to chair a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee today to discuss the rise in Covid-19 cases.

He will then appear in a live television address to the nation at 8pm.

On Monday, Britain’s chief scientific officer warned of the potential number of coronavirus cases and deaths if no action to stop the spike is taken.

Sir Patrick Vallance said that if the current rate is not interrupted there could be an estimated 49,000 new cases on October 13 and as many as 200 deaths per day by mid November.

The UK’s coronavirus alert level was also raised on Monday from three to four, meaning Covid-19 transmission is ‘high or rising exponentially’.