Hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people could be asked to shield this winter
A new shielding plan is being considered for coronavirus hotspots as coronavirus cases continue to rise.
Hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people living in coronavirus hotspots could be told to shield this winter under plans reportedly being considered by the Government as infections continue to soar.
It comes as a minister acknowledged the situation was "getting out of control'' and said action from Whitehall was required.
Ministers are expected to outline a three-tier local lockdown system next week, which may see those most at risk if they catch Covid-19 being told to stay at home for months.
Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley have all seen a rise in the infection rate in the last week.
There are reports a decision on shielding had not been finalised and may be delayed because of fears for the mental health of those told to avoid seeing other people.
Around 2.2 million people in England deemed "clinically extremely vulnerable'' were asked to shield at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, before the scheme was "paused'' in July.
The report comes amid calls for the Government to take swift action to curb the spread of the virus, after a further 17,540 lab-confirmed cases were reported on Thursday.
Dr Stephen Griffin, associate professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Leeds, has said the increase in cases should "serve as a warning to the Government to take further action without delay''.
"It is clear that the consequences of not suppressing infections sufficiently over the summer may be severe if we cannot get on top of this increase,'' he said.
The Government is reportedly planning to order the temporary closure of pubs, bars and restaurants in coronavirus hotspots, with ministers considering fresh financial packages to help the hardest hit areas and industries.