Action too late? UK's Gove says people must do everything possible now

LONDON, March 24 (Reuters) - History would judge whether Britain had acted too slowly to stop the spread of the coronavirus but the important thing now was to follow new restrictions, senior minister Michael Gove said on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday instructed people to stay at home, with limited exceptions, and avoid gatherings. Asked whether the rules should have been issued earlier, Gove said the government had taken appropriate steps on the advice of experts.

"I think the most important thing now is not to look back but to do everything that we can in order to ensure that the instructions that have been put in place are followed," Gove told Sky News.

"People will form their own judgement at some point in the future, what I am concerned about now is making sure that we do everything possible to protect the NHS and that means wherever possible people should stay at home." (Reporting by Paul Sandle and Alistair Smout; editing by Costas Pitas)