Coronavirus: What the latest announcements mean for East Sussex as government pledges to support families and businesses

There are currently sevenconfirmed cases of the coronavirus in East Sussex, according to the latest figures from Public Health England.

Addressing the public today (Tuesday, March 17), Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak have pledged further action on top of measures announced in last week's budget to help families and business affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

Among the extra help just announced is:

– Government backed and guaranteed loans of £330bn to support companies

– £10,000 cash grants for smaller firms

– A potential support package specifically for airlines and airports

– An extension of the business rate holiday announced in the budget

– A three-month mortgage payment holiday for homeowners

A range of stringent new measures were announced by the Prime Minister yesterday evening in the effort to curb the spread of coronavirus. One major piece of advice was that everyone should avoid gatherings and crowded places, such as pubs, clubs and theatres.

In response to this guidance, a number of businesses, unsurprisingly, announced today that they would temporarily close.

Old Town and Pevensey community libraries will close on Friday (March 20) for four weeks due to the pandemic.

Cineworld and Picturehouse has announced the closure of all its cinemas across the UK starting from Wednesday (March 18). Meanwhile, Eastbourne Theatres have cancelled all performances up to April 19.

Click here to see the full listFor businesses, large and small, it is unclear how great of an impact this new government funding will have but time will tell.

Do you run a local business? How much of a difference do you think this funding will make? Get in touch via Facebook or email.