On Monday, health secretary Matt Hancock returned to a buzz-phrase that has become increasingly prevalent as government moves England into the next phase of its pandemic response. ‘Local lockdowns’ will be used to tackle any spikes in the virus over the coming months, he said, referring sweepingly to a broad ‘legal toolkit’ that would be used to enforce such moves.
The new national Joint Biosecurity Centre - recently set up to monitor the pandemic’s data - would advise chief medical officers, ministers and local authorities about when this would be necessary.
Yet despite weeks of the phrase being uttered by ministers, a clear picture of a ‘local lockdown’ remains elusive. Far more questions remain than answers.