The UK government will not enforce its new social distancing coronavirus measures with fines or legal threats because the UK is “a mature and grown up democracy where people understand the advice being given to them,” UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

“On powers, you may be amazed to know, this government already has tremendous powers in this field,” Johnson said.

He explained: “Don’t forget that other countries are in different stages in their movement up the curve. The crucial things is timeliness. Our interventions should be timely to have the maximum effect… when you come to more extreme measures like curfews and things we’ve seen in other countries, we’re keeping all things under review… we’re keeping school closures under review.”

The UK is not currently testing everyone with coronavirus symptoms, a strategy that has been questioned by experts.

The UK’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said they would "continue to scale up testing, but I think it’s important to realize the scale for testing which has been substantial, and we will continue to scale up from here.”

He said “the next level out” will be for healthcare workers and other critical workers with symptoms to be tested.

“People should be thinking of a minimum of weeks to months, people should realize we are in this for the long haul,” Whitty said, in regards to how long the new social distancing measures might last.