Boris Johnson reveals five-step plan for local Covid-19 outbreaks which will be 'part of life for some time'

The Prime Minister has set out a five-step plan for tackling local coronavirus outbreaks, which he acknowledged will be “a feature of our lives for some time to come”.

Speaking at a Downing Street press briefing head of Saturday’s major easing of lockdown restrictions, Boris Johnson said the Government aimed to “move away from blanket national measures to targeted local measures”.

He said a new system for suppressing the pandemic would be based on monitoring, engaging, testing and targeted restrictions.

Lockdowns would remain an option, he said, but only as a “last resort”.

These are the five steps of the Government’s “targeted approach”, as set out by the PM:

Monitoring

Public Health England (PHE) will work with the joint biosecurity sector by looking at data of the spread of coronavirus and people's behaviour across the country.

They will look for emerging trends, rising cases and other red flags.

Engagement

If local hotspots are identified, NHS Test and Trace and PHE will work with the relevant local authority to try to identify solutions for suppressing the spread of the virus.

The local community will be kept informed about what’s happening and what actions they will need to take.

Testing

Testing at a local level will then be scaled-up and combined with contract tracing through the Test and Trace programme.

Targeted restrictions

If the spread cannot be suppressed, individual premises and “hotspots” will be closed.

People who have spent time in these places will be tested and their contacts will be traced if they test positive.

Local lockdown

If these measures don't work, local lockdowns will be extended across communities, as they were in Leicester.

This could include closing schools and businesses and telling people to stay at home.

Addressing the public ahead of what has been dubbed “Super Saturday”, Mr Johnson said: “Our goal remains to enable as many people as possible to live their lives as close to normally as possible in a way that is as fair and as safe as possible.

“To achieve this we need to move away from blanket national measures to targeted local measures.

“We are already implementing this targeted approach in England.”

He continued: “We always said there would be local outbreaks requiring local action. This is to be expected and will, I’m afraid, be a feature of our lives for some time to come.”

He warned: “The virus is still with us and the spike in Leicester has shown that – if it starts running out of control again this Government will not hesitate in putting on the brakes and reimposing restrictions.”

He said anyone who flouts the social distancing rules would be letting down “those businesses and workers who have done so much to prepare for this new normal”.

“As we take this next step, our next step on the road to recovery, I urge the British people to do so safely,” he added.

“My view, my urging to everybody, can be summed up in the phrase ‘enjoy summer safely’.”

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