A scientist has admitted that guidance saying people must stay two metres apart was "conjured up out of nowhere". Professor Robert Dingwall, of the New and and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), told the BBC that it was a "rule of thumb".
But he stressed it is important for people to maintain a distance from each other - with scientific evidence showing people should stay at least a metre away from each other.
He told Radio 4's Today programme that social distancing rules will cause "serious damage" to society, and to the physical and mental health of the population.
He said: "I think it will be much harder to get compliance with some of the measures that really do not have an evidence base.