UK PM 'does not need second national lockdown'
Boris Johnson has said he will not want to impose a second national lockdown in case of another Covid-19 outbreak.
Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, the PM compared the choice of a nationwide shutdown to a "nuclear deterrent", adding he does not think the united states "will be in that position again".
However the UK's chief scientific adviser said there is "a risk" such measures could be needed as winter approaches.
It comes as councils in England have already been given "lightning" lockdown powers.
Beneath the new powers, local authorities can close shops, cancel events and shut outdoor public spaces to control local outbreaks.
Elsewhere, Scotland has seen the largest daily rise in new confirmed coronavirus cases since 21 June.
Mr Johnson said authorities were getting better at identifying and isolating local outbreaks, adding that the energy to order national action will stay an option.
"I cannot abandon that tool any longer than I would abandon a nuclear deterrent. But it is like a nuclear deterrent, I certainly don't want to utilize it. And nor do I think we will be for the reason that position again," he said.
The PM told The Sunday Telegraph that specialists were getting better at spotting the condition, isolating it locally and identifying which groups it impacts - and how.
"We're genuinely able now to check out what's happening in much nearer to real time, to isolate outbreaks and also to address them at that moment, and to use local authorities to contain the condition locally and regionally if we must," Mr Johnson said.
It employs Mr Johnson set out his hopes on Friday for a "significant go back to normality" by Christmas.
Beneath the new guidelines, people can use public transport for journeys immediately, and employers could have more discretion to bring staff back to workplaces if it's safe to take action.
But Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance warned on Friday that "come winter, the challenges will be quite definitely greater and of course you will find a risk that this could also need national measures aswell".
