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Health Secretary Matt Hancock did not rule out a second national lockdown, telling Sky News: “We will do whatever it takes to keep people safe.”
Scientists advising the government have been reported to have proposed a two-week national shutdown in October to try to address the growing number of coronavirus cases.
When asked about those reports and the possibility of a second national shutdown, Mr. Hancock told Sky News’s Kay Burley: “The last line of defense is full national action and I don’t want to see that, but we will do whatever it takes to keep people safe in a very difficult pandemic.”
He added: “It is not something we can take off the table but it is not something we want to see either, it is the last line of defense.”
According to the Financial Times, experts from the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and the Scientific Group on Pandemic Influenza Modeling (SPI-M) have suggested a new national lockdown.
This could coincide with the October school semester to limit the impact on children’s education, the newspaper added.
