Pubs could be forced to close again in ‘very near future’, warns Matt Hancock

PUBS could be forced to close again in the "very near future" as coronavirus cases spiral out of control, Matt Hancock warned this morning.

Mr Hancock said "no final decisions" have been made but warned Brits they could face even tighter restrictions as the UK tries desperately to get a second wave of the virus under control.

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When asked if pubs could be closed this weekend, Mr Hancock told ITV's This Morning: "We will be absolutely clear about the changes we need to make in the very, very near future."

He said the answer to pubs closing is "not a not, and it's not a yes".

He added: "We have been working on this all weekend, we haven't taken the final decisions about what we need to do in response to the surge that we have seen in the last few weeks."

The chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific advisor Sir Patrick Vallance gave Brits a dire warning about how quickly coronavirus could grip hold of the nation if people fail to follow the rules this morning.

Professor Whitty warned Brits needed to see coronavirus as at least a "six month problem" and said everyone needed to take personal responsibility to reduce their risk of contracting the virus.

He warned if healthy individuals increase their risk by going to the pub and forgetting social distancing or meeting with large groups of people, "sooner or later" that would lead to vulnerable people being infected.

He told the nation: "You're taking a risk on behalf of everyone else."

Sir Patrick warned daily new coronavirus cases were currently doubling every seven days - and if the UK stays on the trajectory it's on now there could be 50,000 cases a day by mid-October.

The Health Secretary also warned Christmas might not be normal, after Sir Patrick said the surge in cases was likely to be difficult to mange for at least six months.

Mr Hancock said: "I want Christmas to be as normal as possible. The more that we can control the virus now to stop the spread now, the easier it is going to be to have a Christmas that is as close to normal as possible.  

"I know that is what so many people are looking forward to. It is what I hope for, for my family, and I just hope that we can get there. It means taking decisions now."

He said there are still hopes a vaccine could be rolled out by early next year - with "a chance" of it being ready in time for Christmas.

He warned even if it is ready only the most vulnerable people would get it first.

Mr Hancock said: "'There's a series of different vaccines, but we are talking about - essentially, for it to have an impact on how we live our lives - we're talking about the start of next year."

And Boris Johnson is expected to address the nation tomorrow amid growing fears over the surge in new cases.

There were almost 4,000 new cases of coronavirus in the UK yesterday.

Mr Hancock said he spoke to the PM, saying: "He is as worried as we all are about the rise in the number of cases and we have to make a final decision about what's the best response to that."

Pubs who fail to enforce social distancing rules - including making people fill in Track & Trace forms - could be forced to shut, according to the Daily Mail.

A Cabinet minister said: "People have been registering in pubs as Donald Duck and providing made-up phone numbers, or not giving any contact details at all. So a crackdown is needed."

Pubs and restaurants could also be forced to abide by a strict 10pm curfew to try and curb growing infections from people drinking and forgetting social distancing.

Venues in some local lockdown areas - including Lancashire and Merseyside - will have curfews from tomorrow.

And people in Bolton are only able to get takeaway after other local lockdown measures failed to stem the tide of cases.

Professor Whitty and Sir Patrick are expected to say at 11am this morning that Britain is "heading in the wrong direction" as No10 warned Brits they are in the "last chance saloon" to avoid a second national lockdown or very strict restrictions.

In a televised briefing on Monday, the chief medical officer and chief scientific advisor will warn the UK faces a "very challenging winter".