A new national lockdown that could see hospitality businesses in England forced to shut for two weeks is being considered by the government as the « last line of defence » in stopping the spread of coronavirus, the health secretary has said.
But Matt Hancock said he hopes « local action » will be enough to bring infections rates down before he is forced to reimpose nationwide blanket restrictions, an option he said is still « on the table ».
Scientists advising the government have reportedly recommended a two week national lockdown in October to tackle the rise of coronavirus ahead of the winter.
England-wide restrictions would amount to a Covid-19 « circuit-break », aimed at bring infection rates down as they rise in several regions across the UK.
It is estimated that 11 million Brits are currently living under increased coronavirus restrictions in large swathes of the country and that number is expected to jump today with the government said to be preparing new rules in Lancashire and Merseyside.
« The country once again needs to come together and recognise there is a serious challenge. That the virus is accelerating, » he told Sky News.
« Unfortunately, it isn’t just cases increasing, it’s also the number of people ending up in hospital increasing. »
He continued: « We will do what is necessary to keep people safe.
« And the first line of defence is that everybody should follow the social distancing. »
« The contact tracing system, which is working very well, that is the second line of defence.
« And, I don’t want to see that. But we will do whatever is necessary to keep people safe in a very difficult pandemic. »
Asked about the possibility of a two-week imposition of national restrictions to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, Mr Hancock told Sky News: “A national lockdown is the last line of defence and we want to use local action.”
Ministers are reportedly considering new national rules to slow the spread of coronavirus, which could see restrictions imposed on pubs and restaurants but workplaces and schools would stay open.
Mr Hancock’s comments come as Lancashire and Merseyside became the latest areas to face tougher restrictions to curb rising Covid cases.
Labour MP for Lancaster & Fleetwood Cat Smith said she was expecting tougher restrictions to be placed across the majority of the county imminently.
In a post on Twitter, she wrote: « We are expecting a Government announcement later today that the majority of Lancashire will be subject to new measures in order to bring down the rate of Covid-19 infections. « Over recent weeks, we have seen increases in the number of cases.
« We are still waiting for the full details of regulations and guidelines but I’ll update to let you know what it means for you as soon as I can. « We all want to get back to normal, and we know this news will be difficult for people to hear. »
In Lancashire, where Preston, Blackburn with Darwen and Pendle already have restrictions in place, it has been reported that measures will be introduced for all of the county apart from Blackpool.
Neil Shaw, chief executive of Rossendale Borough Council tweeted: « To be clear, no leader in Rossendale has called for the introduction of tighter restrictions.
« The Govt may impose these at some point but we are making the case why they shouldn’t. »
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson told BBC Breakfast he would welcome action in Merseyside.
He said: « The measures the Government will be likely to impose on Liverpool today, similar to what they did with the North East yesterday, is unfortunate but welcome because what I am worried about is that, if we don’t tackle the measures now, then we will head towards the winter and Christmas period where we could be in a real difficult position, not just here but across the country. »
In Warrington, public health leaders appealed to residents not to visit other households earlier this week as case numbers grew in the borough.
Nine of the 10 areas with the highest infection rates are in the North West.
Most parts of Greater Manchester are already subject to restrictions.
In Bolton, which has the highest number of cases in the country, measures were brought in last week restricting restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs to takeaway only, and requiring all hospitality venues to close between 10pm and 5am.
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