'The way ahead is hard, many lives will be lost', says UK PM Boris Johnson

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday everyone in the country must "join together" and adopt new restrictive government measures to "help save thousands of lives" as the UK battles the new coronavirus pandemic.

The UK has joined other countries in ordering residents to restrict their movements, imposing its most draconian restrictions ever in peacetime.

In an address to the nation from 10 Downing Street, Johnson announced ramped up restrictions on people being allowed to leave their homes.

Johnson ordered the closing of non-essential shops and told the people they could only leave their homes for very limited purposes.

He said the measures would halt the spread of the disease and relieve the pressure on the National Health Service.

He said: "Each and every one of us is now obliged to join together to halt the spread of this disease, to protect our NHS and to save many, many thousands of lives."

The U.K. had the 10th-highest number of virus cases in the world, 5,903, and the sixth-highest number of virus-related deaths as of Monday, according to tallies from Johns Hopkins University.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever or coughing.

But for some older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness including pneumonia, but the vast majority of people recover from the virus.

The pandemic has infected more than 374,000 people and killed over 16,000. More than 100,000 people have recovered so far, mostly in China.