The latest message from the prime minister is for people to stay at home unless absolutely necessary. The UK is now in a lockdown to tackle the spread of coronavirus.

People are allowed out once a day for exercise, for medical reasons, to shop for essential items at retailers which are still open and to go to work when it is "absolutely necessary" to travel.

If you can work from home then you should do so but if your work is crucial to tackling coronavirus and you have to go in then you are still allowed to travel.

However, determining who exactly the key workers are can be difficult, particularly given conflicting messages from employers and the government.

There has been confusion over which businesses are supposed to shut their doors during the lockdown and which ones can stay open. Many Brits have been left in the dark over whether they should be going to work or not.

Children of key workers are still supposed to go into school, though some have been turned away due to confusion over what they are supposed to be doing. The head of the National Association of Headteachers asked parents who are classed as key workers to try and find other ways of ensuring their children are cared for before trying to bring them to school.

Cabinet minister Michael Gove said construction workers should still be going to work as long as they follow social distancing rules and stay two metres apart, though they are not on the key worker guidelines published by the Department for Education.

The government’s current lists of businesses and workers that are needed during the coronavirus pandemic has some grey areas, causing confusion for some Brits who are receiving contradictory information.

The question of which businesses are supposed to stay open and which people are still supposed to go into work needs answering. The government has published rules for businesses that need to close and a list of key workers who are still needed.

The Facts

The list of rules from the government covering which businesses should stay open and which should be closed is here.

Restaurants and cafes have been ordered to close, though they can still operate a takeaway business. Cafes and canteens in workplaces also need to close save for a few exceptions such as those in hospitals, care homes and schools, or those which provide services to the homeless.

Pubs, bars and nightclubs must all close with no exceptions. Community centres are closed unless they operate food banks or provide services for the homeless.

Shops and markets must close unless they offer important goods and services to the public. Food retailers such as supermarkets will be staying open, as will pharmacies, petrol stations and pet shops.

Government instructions state that if you can work from home then you must do so, reducing the number of people travelling down to those who find it absolutely necessary to do so.

The list of those who are classed as key workers by the government can be read here.

If you are a key worker then you can still travel to your workplace if you need to be there to do your job. Only those who the UK needs to be working and and need to be at work should leave their homes.

All NHS staff, including cleaners and administrative personnel, are classed as key workers. Social care staff are also key workers who the government has said they need.

Those working in the health sector supply chain, people making or delivering protective equipment and medicines, are also classed as key workers. NHS staff need a constant supply chain to continue operating and ensure doctors and nurses are equipped with what they need.

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People working in the supply chains of food and other necessary goods are also key to the UK, guaranteeing the supermarket shelves are stocked with what people need.

Teachers and social workers are classed as key personnel, as are those involved in public services or who work in local and national government.

Police, their support staff, armed forces personnel who are working as part of the coronavirus response and firefighters are key workers, as are those who work for the National Crime Agency.

If you are a key worker who cannot work from home and cannot arrange childcare then you can still send your child to school, otherwise they should stay at home. Children of single parent key workers are entitled to a place in school.

The government will review these measures in three weeks time to determine whether they can relax the restrictions or not.

What should you do?

If you're still unsure whether you're supposed to be going into work or not and the government guidelines don't cover your profession or workplace then you should contact your employer and ask them to tell you whether you're classed as a key worker or not.

You should only be travelling to work if it is absolutely necessary. If you can do your job from home then you should stay at home. The only people who should be travelling for work are key workers who have to go into their workplace.

When out and about you should still be following social distancing rules and stay two metres away from other people where possible.

Employers who are confused should determine whether they are providing a critical service to the UK's effort to tackle the coronavirus. If not then your staff should either work from home or be told they don't need to come in.

If you are still in one of the grey areas over being a key worker then you should keep following the news as the government may officially clarify a stance on certain professions in the future.