Boris Johnson says he will make the “necessary closures” in the event of local outbreaks of coronavirus.
With lockdown due to be eased in England on Saturday July 4, the Prime Minister has issued a message to people ignoring social distancing rules.
It comes after Bournemouth declared a major incident on Thursday after a deluge of 500,000 visitors caused chaos as they gridlocked roads and dumped tonnes of rubbish as crowds flocked to the beach.
If similar scenes are repeated and infections spike, the PM says he will lock down the towns affected.
The last week has seen repeated incidents of crowds ignoring social distancing rules across the country.
Mr Johnson told the Mail on Sunday: “I say to those people who are going out in large groups – you may think that you are immortal, that you won’t be a sufferer, but the bug you carry can kill your family and friends.
“I don’t want a second lockdown but wherever there is a local outbreak, whether in Ashfield or Angelsea, we will empower the local authorities to quarantine everyone who has got it, test back to the moment of infection and make
the necessary closures.”
Over the past four nights, police have broken up illegal raves and block parties attended by hundreds of people in London.
Police in Liverpool ordered the public to clear the city centre on Friday as celebrations after Liverpool FC won the Premier League for the first time in 30 years entered a second night.
Under current social distancing guidelines, people from separate households should not come within two metres of each other.
The rules will officially be relaxed to ‘one metre plus’ on July 4, when pubs have been given the green light to reopen.
Beachgoer claims huge crowds ‘don’t matter because I don’t know anyone with Covid-19’
The PM’s comments come as he prepares to announce a major spending spree to fund plans to kickstart the UK economy.
He will use a speech on Tuesday to announce a taskforce that will fast-track building houses, schools, roads and prisons.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak will lead the £250 billion ‘Project Speed’ as the PM says the UK is about to have the “thunderclap of economic consequences” caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
