Matt Hancock has refused to rule out whether pubs in England will be closed this weekend as the Government prepares extra measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.
On ITV’s This Morning, the Health Secretary was asked whether landlords would be told to shut this weekend.
“We will be absolutely clear about the changes we need to make in the very, very near future,” Mr Hancock said.
Mr Hancock 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."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to address the nation on Tuesday amid mounting concern about the rise in the number of Covid-19 cases.
Mr Hancock said he spoke to Mr Johnson on Monday morning.
"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," the Health Secretary said.
Mr Hancock said the Government wants to keep schools open, and said any lockdown restrictions will be "different to last time".
London's empty network continues during Coronavirus
"The evidence is… schools aren’t where a lot of the transmission happens, it’s more about people socialising," he said.
He added: "If we do have to take action it will be different to last time. We have learned a huge amount about how to tackle the virus."
Quizzed on whether any new restrictions would focus on social settings, Mr Hancock said: "The really sad thing about this virus is that it thrives on the things that make life worth living."
He added: "I know the impact this has on people. I know this is not how anybody wants to live their life.
He pointed out that there were already parts of the country where “there are measures in place to say that you shouldn’t socialise with people outside your household”.
But the Health Secretary said he wanted Christmas to be "as normal as possible" and also suggested that a vaccine may be widely available in early 2021.
"It depends how much we can control it now," he said.
"If this runs out of control now, then we’ll have to take heavier measures in the future.
"The more we can control it now by everybody doing that bit, including us – absolutely – but everybody together, then the easier it is going to be to have as normal a Christmas as possible."
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."
This story is being updated.