At a press conference held outside the Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing Street, Boris Johnson said that his government would be giving local authorities new powers to impose closures where appropriate, on indoor as well as outdoor venues.
He then added that, "Action for local councils will not always be sufficient, so next week we will publish draft regulations which clearly set out how central government can intervene more effectively at a local level.
"Where justified by the evidence, ministers will be able to close whole sectors, or types of premises in an area or introduce local stay-at-home orders, prevent people entering or leaving defined areas, reduce the maximum size of gatherings beyond national rules or restrict transport systems serving local areas."
Attempting to inject a note of optimism, Johnson said that there is still a chance that there will be a "return to normality, possibly in time for Christmas."