Matt Hancock did not rule out England’s pubs being closed this weekend as ministers prepare extra measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The Health Secretary said on Monday that the Government had not yet taken the “final decisions” on what response was necessary, but said the changes would be announced in the “very, very near future”.

He was unable to say if pubs will be ordered to shut by the weekend, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson expected to address the nation on Tuesday amid mounting concern about a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases.

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), which represents about 20,000 of the UK’s pubs, warned closing bars even temporarily would come at an “astronomical cost” to the sector.

On ITV’s This Morning, Mr Hancock was asked whether landlords would be told to shut this weekend.

Basingstoke Gazette: Health Secretary Matt Hancock (Jonathan Brady/PA)Health Secretary Matt Hancock (Jonathan Brady/PA)

“We will be absolutely clear about the changes we need to make in the very, very near future,” he replied.

The Heath Secretary said his answer on pubs was “not a no, and it’s not a yes”, adding: “We have been working on this all weekend, we haven’t taken the final decisions about what we need to do in response to the surge that we have seen in the last few weeks.”

He said he spoke to Mr Johnson on Monday morning, adding: “He is as worried as we all are about the rise in the number of cases and we have to make a final decision about what’s the best response to that.”

On the possibility of a vaccine, Mr Hancock said: “For the mass rollout we’re talking about the first bit of next year, if all goes well.

“Hopefully in the first few months – there’s still a chance of it coming on stream before Christmas, but we’ve then got to roll it out and the first people who will get it are the people who are most vulnerable – people in care homes, older people.

“There’s a series of different vaccines, but we are talking about – essentially, for it to have an impact on how we live our lives – we’re talking about the start of next year.”