The Prime Minister may have urged us all to cut social interaction to help stop the spread of coronavirus, but commuters say they still need get to work.

People in Maidstone were heading out on trains and buses this morning, despite Boris Johnson urging us to work from home, where possible, and to stop going to pubs, bars and nightclubs.

The centre of Maidstone was noticeably quieter, just hours after the first daily press conference updated the nation on Covid-19 and the number of deaths rose to 53.

Ruth Taylor, who works in retail in Tunbridge Wells, was one of several waiting for a bus in Maidstone's Tonbridge Road.

She said: "When you work in retail, there is no such thing as having a day off, so there's no choice, I have to go in. If I feel I am getting a cold, I will worry then about what to do about it, but I feel that if you get something, you get something.

"We can all be sensible and take precautions, but you do find yourself thinking about it. I have family with underlying health conditions and one of my family members is pregnant, so I am more worried about them.

"To be honest, if I had to self-isloate, I would be more worried about not being able to pay the rent."

Harley Couchman was trying to get to London St Pancras and was taking the bus after earlier problems on the Medway Valley Line forced the cancellation of his high-speed service from Maidstone West.

He said: "You just have to be sensible. I have got to get to work today, but you just need to take precautions."

Yesterday, cafe and restaurant owners in the town spoke of their fears as customers stayed away over worries about coronavirus.

Bill Gulbahce, owner of Moonlight Cafe in Middle Row, said he had cancelled deliveries for today as he had not used existing stock.

He added: "Business is down 40 to 50%. We might take the decision to close if things don't pick up."

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