Minister Robert Jenrick refuses to rule out two-week circuit breaker lockdown over half term

Rebecca Speare-Cole2 October 2020

Tory minister Robert Jenrick has refused to rule out a two-week "circuit breaker" over half term.

It comes amid speculation that the Government is planning the short-term national lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. A circuit breaker requires people to largely stay at home for a period of two to three weeks.

The Housing Secretary said on Friday that the Government is still currently proceeding with a "localised approach".

But, asked about imposing a circuit breaker lockdown, Mr Jenrick told Sky News: "Obviously we keep these options under review and we don't rule anything out. "

He said: "We have done the national changes, the rule of six, wear a mask, stay apart, wash your hands.

He refused to rule out the possibility of a circuit breaker
Sky News

"In a local situation, on the advice of the scientists, we are taking much more significant action."

Pressed again the circuit breaker as an option, he said the Government is not ruling anything out.

"At the moment the advice is that the measures we have put in place are sufficient.," he said.

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"If it turns out that we need to take further action, then obviously we will consider that."

Mr Jenrick went on to defend the Government's current strategy.

He said: "What we're trying to do is strike the right balance between protecting people form the virus, particularly focussing on the local areas.

"But also balancing that with protecting people's jobs and livelihoods and the other things that matter to our way of life, like education, like mental health and like ensuring people continue to have access to the NHS for other conditions.

"We all know that is a trick balancing act and it's a subject of great public debate at the moment where we land on that but I think that we are in the right place."

His comments come as new restrictions are set to be imposed in Liverpool, Warrington, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough, meaning more than a third of the UK will be under localise measures.

Meanwhile, a further 6,914 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the UK, bringing the total to 460,178, as of 9am on Thursday.

The Government said a further 59 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19. This brings the UK's death toll to 42,202.

Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have now been nearly 57,900 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

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