Downing Street has played down the prospect of roadblocks being set up to seal off entire areas where there were localised coronavirus outbreaks.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The sorts of things we have talked about in the road map were, for example, closing down particular schools or particular groups of schools, potentially limiting admissions to health facilities or – if there were a particular business or premises linked to an outbreak – closing that down temporarily.”
Pressed on whether local lockdowns could mean people being stopped from entering or leaving areas affected by coronavirus, the spokesman said: “The priority… would be to close down premises linked to outbreaks and, where people are considered to be at risk because they have come into contact with others confirmed as having coronavirus, telling them they need to self-isolate for 14 days.”
The prospect of localised lockdown come as Leicester has reported hundreds of new cases of coronavirus in the last two weeks.
The city has seen 25 per cent of all its cases diagnosed in the last fortnight.
The local authority says it has been told lockdown rules could be extended in the city for the next two weeks - meaning pubs, restaurants and hairdressers would not reopen.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock is meeting local leaders from Leicester on Monday afternoon to discuss the city’s coronavirus flare-up.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Mr Hancock would update MPs in the Commons later on Monday following the 1.30pm meeting.
Asked whether Mr Hancock would be telling Leicester to delay easing lockdown for a fortnight after the rest of England enjoys new freedoms on July 4, the spokesman said: “I genuinely don’t want to pre-empt the discussions that they are going to have later on.”
Downing Street insisted the powers existed to impose local lockdowns to tackle outbreaks of Covid-19.
“Either the local authority or Public Health England have a range of powers themselves to allow them to contain local outbreaks – for example they can impose temporary closures of public spaces, businesses and venues,” the spokesman said.
Admissions could be stopped to hospitals and the Health Secretary also has powers under the Coronavirus Act.
