Ministers are said to be discussing tighter lockdown rules to stop people meeting outdoors and to make mask-wearing in shops a legal requirement.
According to reports, the current lockdown restrictions in England could be brought closer to those applied during the first national shutdown in March.
The proposals for tougher measures include removing the exception that allows two people from different households to exercise together outdoors, while mask-wearing could be enforced more widely, including in offices and queues.
England’s chief medical officer has warned the coming weeks are going “to be the worst weeks” of the coronavirus pandemic for the NHS.
Professor Chris Whitty said that while 18,000 people were in hospital with Covid-19 during the April peak last year, on Sunday there were more than 30,000 beds occupied by patients with the disease.
He said the pandemic was now “everybody’s problem” as he urged people to "double down" and stop any "unnecessary contacts".
It comes as seven mass vaccination sites open across England on Monday, capable of delivering thousands of Covid-19 jabs each week.
