Britain asks public to respect lockdown

Britain's leaders yesterday urged people to respect an unprecedented countrywide lockdown, saying that following advice to stay at home would stop people dying of coronavirus.

"Unless you stay at home, then the people you love most may die," senior minister Michael Gove said in a round of broadcast interviews.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson late on Monday bowed to pressure to follow other European countries in shutting most shops and services, as the death toll reached 335.

Many streets were deserted yesterday morning, although reduced traffic still circulated in London and construction workers were being allowed to stay on site.

Pictures on social media showed packed rush-hour trains on the London Underground "Tube" network, but this is partly as a result of a dramatic reduction in services.