The Prime Minister has put forward a series of extreme measures to help curb the spread of coronavirus after the death toll in the UK hit 335 last night.
As well as stringent new rules on who should leave the house and when, he said only 'essential' shops will be allowed to stay open to the public.
This includes supermarkets, forecourts, hardware stores, newsagents and pharmacies - but what about garages if your car is in need of its MOT?
While roads are unlikely to be busy over the next few weeks, drivers who fail to renew their certificate could find themselves in breach of the law - and even at risk of a £1,000 penalty fine.
So what are your rights and can garages stay open?
MOT garages have been deemed an "essential service" by the government, which means they'll continue to trade despite the partial lockdown measures.
In addition, Post Offices and banks will also be allowed to remain open.
Hours will, however, vary by garage as these are independently owned - so get in touch with your local to find out.
According to the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), car and motorbike owners will still need to get their MOT done when it's due, although an update is expected on these guidelines, in the next few days.
However, all lorry, bus and trailer annual MOTs have been suspended for three months because of the outbreak.
If you're a car or motorbike owner and you're self-isolating because of coronavirus, you can however choose to delay your MOT and get it done once you're better.
In this scenario, you don't need to notify anyone but you can't drive elsewhere if your MOT has lapsed - you can only take your car to the garage.
Vehicle approval tests, needed when you import, build, reconstruct or radically alter a vehicle, have also been suspended for up to three months.
If your car doesn’t need an MOT, but still needs service or repair work, many garages are now offering a mobile service whereby they’ll come out to you to carry out that work at your home.
It’s worth calling around your local garages to find out whether this is something they offer.
You might want to clean the surfaces you touch both inside and outside the car once the work has been completed.
