‘We will have to stick together and try and tough this one out’ – that’s the message from one publican following the Prime Minister’s calls for people to avoid pubs, clubs and restaurants.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that all people in the UK should avoid venues as he set out the need for "drastic action" to tackle the "fast growth" of coronavirus as increased social distancing measures are introduced for the population.

But the government has not ordered businesses to close. Since then the Prime Minister along with the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak have unveiled a package of financial measures to help support the economy.

However many in the trade have been left wondering what the future holds, although some are trying to be positive.

Rhos Thompson of The Wyke Smugglers in Weymouth said: “We will carry on until we’re told not to do so. At the moment, we’re going into siege mentality, it wasn’t very helpful what the government said (on Monday), but I understand why they’re going down that route.

“We are getting a lot of cancellations for parties and events like that. I am really worried about the effect this will have on my fellow publicans and restaurateurs in Weymouth and on the high street.

“At times like this we all have to stick together. We will have to tough this one out.”

Dave Harris, Chairman of West Dorset CAMRA said: "A lot of landlords will see this as another nail in the coffin. We just started to see a turn around with more pubs opening in the country than closing after 15 to 16 years. I thought they had turned a corner.

"Whatever the solution is, it's not going to be easy or short term."

A spokesman for pub chain Wetherspoon said: “Our pubs continue to trade as normal.

“We are fully aware of the threat of coronavirus and at present the government has not told pubs to close, so it is business as usual.

“We have told staff to ensure that they wash their hands regularly and also asked customers to do the same. There are signs in the pub reinforcing this.

“The pubs are being cleaned regularly and this includes regular cleaning of door handles and other points of contact.”

Chef Eric Tavernier of Les Enfants Terribles, a French restaurant on Custom House Quay, Weymouth, said: “You can’t just tell people to avoid restaurants and not ask us to close, it’s just silly.

“I have a feeling that by Friday the government will make the decision to close the restaurants.”

He said his business has been suffering and experienced many cancellations.

Chef Eric said he is considering starting a takeaway delivery service, but doesn’t know if it will be sustainable.

He said: “If I knew it was only for six weeks I would try a takeaway menu, but we have no idea, there’s so little advice and the government keep saying the same thing, it’s like a puppet show.”

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Weymouth restaurant The Dorset Burger Company said: “It is business as usual, but we have introduced a 'use every other table' rule to ensure distance between diners, so will be running at half capacity for the foreseeable future.

"We are starting to experience some cancellations, especially larger groups, but small and medium parties are still reserving tables.

"We’re following government advice and hope not to close and are looking at offering a takeaway and home delivery service starting at the weekend.”