[rosstaylor90]

No, the primary reason is that the UK is a heavily service-based economy. Quarantine impacts the service-based subset of the economy the most. Therefore it makes sense that the UK would be hard hit. A “nation of shopkeepers” suffers when the shops are closed...

[gvjddbnvdrbv]

Really? I'd have thought that stuff like financial, accounting and legal services (things the UK is good at) can be done via work from home rather better than e.g. car and machine parts manufacturing...

[wdb]

Yes, but all the restaurants (lunches), cafe shops (for their coffees during breaks), etc aren't frequented as much because everyone is working from home.

Probably the more clientele in the employee's living neighbourhood doesn't equal it out. While I shop more at the local diary store I don't buy lunches etc.