UK should be prepared for "significant period" of lockdown says Cabinet Minister Michael Gove

Cabinet Minister of the UK government, Michael Gove on Sunday said that the people should be prepared for a "significant period' of lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Gove said, "There are different projections as to how long the lockdown might last," as reported by CNN.

"I can't make an accurate prediction, but everyone does have to prepare for a significant period when these measures are still in place," Gove added.

Currently, the public in the UK is banned from leaving their homes apart for limited reasons after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed the most stringent restrictions ever witnessed in Britain since World War II.

Police will break up public gatherings and fine people breaking the rules, Johnson said in a televised statement on Monday evening, dramatically ramping up the country's response to the growing coronavirus pandemic.

Johnson, who has himself tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday, has written letters to 30 million households across the UK urging people to stay home, and telling the public: "We know things will get worse before they get better."

Currently, 10,000 people are being tested for coronavirus daily, with the government hoping to increase this to 25,000 a day. Healthcare and social care workers are "first in line" for those tests, Gove added.

More than 1,000 people have died from coronavirus in the UK as of 27 March, and more than 17,000 have tested positive for the virus, according to figures from the Department of Health and Social Care.