THERE were mixed views when Boris Johnson announced the government's position on the coronavirus outbreak.

The prime minister warned "many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time" and said anybody showing even mild symptoms of the disease should quarantine themselves for seven days.

He stopped short of drastic measures like shutting schools and ordering the suspension of major sporting events.

Here's what you told us on Facebook...

Caroline Smith: "They are thinking of the long-term future of the country. We need people to develop some immunity, I can totally understand why they have acted the way they have because of that. Boris is for once listening to experts and we have to trust they know what they are talking about. And I am speaking as one who is in the vulnerable group."

Mark Rogers: "The mortality rate for common flu is higher, but no-one panics about that."

Gemma Nicole Oram: "I don't see the point in shutting schools at this stage. Children are the least likely to be affected by the virus. If they are fit and healthy they should be in school. Better that than them being out of school spreading the virus around the sick and elderly because I doubt they will be sat indoors for weeks on end."

Karen Gemini Jolliffe: "Every individual should be ensuring their own safety, not just waiting for the next instalment of The Boris Show. This doesn't mean panic etc. It simply means common sense and consideration for others."

Charlotte Hayward: "Right decision right now, NHS and emergency services need time to prepare for when the schools shut etc. I think he has a lot more information from the right people and is in a much better place to make this decision than us so let's just trust they know what they are doing."

Lindsey Procter: "People just need to use their common sense to help stop the spread. Too much to ask for some people. Feel ill? Stay at home with meds. That's the best you can do. I agree with a lot of what he's said. I can see why they haven't taken drastic measures just yet. Shut schools and who is going to look after the kids if parents have to work? Their grandparents – those who have a higher risk. A lot of what he said makes sense, to be fair."

Justyna Korolewicz: "It's going to be another Italy."

Polly-Marie Haywood: Schools are a breeding ground. There are hundreds of children in a small area. If one has the the virus, it is likely to spread very fast. These children will go home and spread it with their families including elderly people. Parents will go to work and spread it again. It's just a big knock-on effect!"

Laura Dent: "Completely right decision made by competent intellectuals who know what they are talking about! Educate, educate, educate yourself!"

Rachel Cleary: "We can’t expect the government to do everything. It is impossible. We need to think for ourselves and take some responsibility."

Sonia Watts: "I think he is going to shut schools for longer at Easter when it hits UK hard, which makes more sense."

Celine Guillet: "Children do not wash their hands as well as adults and are much closer to each other physically as well. If one kid in a school has it, it can lead to a massive local outbreak as lots of their classmates would get it and their families too. Including the grandparents. That's why schools are closed in many countries."

Maria Phillips: "I haven’t seen any children on the streets of Italy. It’s being policed, and that’s what will happen here, with the army as back up if we go into lockdown."