Boris Johnson has been forced to abandon his drive to get Britons back to the workplace as he prepares to announce new restrictions to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has said there is going to be a "shift in emphasis" on the Government's advice about working from home.

Mr Gove explained the advice has changed as the Covid-19 alert level rises from three to four.

Michael Gove told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We are stressing that if it is safe to work in your workplace, if you are in a Covid secure workplace, then you should be there if your job requires it.

“But, if you can work from home you should.”

The Government’s call for people to work from home where they can, will come as a blow for cafes and other businesses which rely on commuters and office workers.

Mr Gove stated that it was not a case of “revisiting the days at the beginning of our response to this virus” as “workplaces are safer”, adding: “But one of the risks that we have to face is that social mixing overall contributes to the spread of the virus.

“So as much as we can restrain that as possible at this stage, the better for all of us and for public health.”

The new workplace advice comes after the Government’s chief scientific and medical advisers painted a grim picture of how there could be 50,000 cases a day by mid-October with a daily death toll of 200 or more by mid-November if the current growth in the rate of infection is not halted.

The UK’s Covid alert level has risen from three to four, the second highest, indicating the “epidemic is in general circulation; transmission is high or rising exponentially”.

Mr Johnson will chair meetings of Cabinet and the Cobra emergency committee today, including the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, before a televised address at 8pm.

A Number 10 spokesperson said: “No-one underestimates the challenges the new measures will pose to many individuals and businesses.

“We know this won’t be easy, but we must take further action to control the resurgence in cases of the virus and protect the NHS.”