Local lockdowns could pop up within 24 hours as a result of data from the NHS Covid-19 app, according to a report.
Coronavirus outbreaks will be picked up on far quicker because of the app, meaning tougher measures could come into force within days, local authority officials claim.
Ministers can now use "fluid" real-time updates when making lockdown decisions, instead of weekly reviews.
Tough measures such as bans on household mixing and the closures of pubs could be enforced quicker due to the app, it is claimed.
The NHS Covid-19 app for England has been downloaded 12.4 million times as of yesterday afternoon.
A source told The Sun : "Meetings have been taking place over the weekend, and we have been put on notice that new measures could come into force at any time."
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "I would urge everybody, including every single member in this House, to join the 12.4 million."
It comes as a new coronavirus law will hand people in England £4,000 on-the-spot fines if police believe they have "recklessly" left self-isolation.
The fine for first offenders is four times higher than the standard £1,000 fine for people who leave home after testing positive for Covid-19, or being told to isolate by NHS Test and Trace.
The new criminal offence was made law late last night, buried in the small print of a 12-page regulation, with no prior explanation or promotion by the government.
It has stoked anger among Tory MPs who are furious at the government for making coronavirus laws without any prior approval by MPs.
Conservative Steve Baker compared the situation to George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.
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