FROM tomorrow, councils in England will have the power to close shops and parks and cancel events in order to secure public safety.

The new powers, announced by the Prime Minister today, aim to allow local authorities to tackle outbreaks of the coronavirus.

Next week, draft regulations will also be published which would allow central Government to put entire areas on lockdown.

Read also: Two men left with life-threatening injuries after crash

This could range from closing a all the shops of one particular kind in a given area to making a stay-at-home order or restricting transport systems.

The new powers all aim to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking at a Downing Street press briefing Boris Johnson said: "At the start of the pandemic, we knew far less about the spread of the virus and we had to take blanket national measures.

"National lockdown was undoubtedly the right thing to do and has saved many thousands of lives.

"Now, however, we know more about the virus, we understand the epidemiology better and our intelligence about where it is spreading is vastly improved.

Read more: Oxford on the list of 25 places most likely to local lockdown

"That means we can control it through targeted local action instead."

Boris Johnson said: "From tomorrow, local authorities will have new powers in their areas.

"They will be able to close specific premises, shut public outdoor spaces and cancel events.

"These powers will enable local authorities to act more quickly in response to outbreaks where speed is paramount.

"Action by local councils will not always be sufficient, so next week we will publish draft regulations on 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, introduce local stay-at-home orders, prevent people entering or leaving defined areas, reduce the size of gatherings beyond the national defined rules or restrict transport systems serving local areas."

He also spoke about the rate of infection and finding the NHS. 

The rate of spread of the coronavirus infection across the UK - the growth rate - is at minus 5per cent to minus 1per cent, the latest figures from the Government Office for Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) show.

Read more: Country to 'return to normal by Christmas' plus when will the beauty industry reopen? 

The reproduction number, referred to as R, remains at 0.7 to 0.9.

The Prime Minister said: "This local approach relies on having an effective testing regime in place. And, here, we have made substantial progress.

"Antigen test capacity, that's the test which tells you if you currently have the virus, has increased 100-fold since the start of March - from fewer than 2,000 tests a day to more than 200,000 tests a day now."

Mr Johnson said: "Publicly available data suggests we are now carrying out our tests more than anywhere else in Europe in total .

"And more tests than Germany, France, Italy, and Spain per capita."

Confirming the extra £3 billion in funding for the NHS to prepare for a possible second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Boris Johnson said Covid-19 could become "more virulent" in winter.

Boris Johnson said: "Demand for testing is not the only challenge that winter will bring. It's possible that the virus will be more virulent in the winter months and it's certain that the NHS will face the usual annual winter pressures."

Read more: How many people were wearing a mask in Oxford yesterday? 

He added: "We're making sure we're ready for winter and planning for the worst.

"But even as we plan for the worst I strongly believe we should hope for the best.

"That means looking ahead with optimism, now extending our plan to lift the remaining national measures, which have restricted our lives since March, so we can get back to something closer to normal life."