DORSET Council has welcomed the news local authorities will be given powers to enforce local lockdowns should there be any spikes in coronavirus cases.

Yesterday, Boris Johnson said councils in England will have the power to close shops and parks and cancel events in order to secure public safety.

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

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

Sam Crowe, director of Public Health for Dorset and BCP Councils, said: “Following the latest government announcement made by the Prime Minister today, we are pleased to hear that local authorities will be given the powers we need in the event of a Covid-19 outbreak.

“We will be reviewing the details of the Contain Framework over the next few days. Using this information along with our recently published Local Outbreak Management Plans, we are in a strong position to manage an outbreak effectively.

“Dorset continues to have low numbers of cases and that is due to our residents following government guidance. I’d like to ask everyone to keep doing their bit and following guidance such as social distancing and washing hands regularly to help keep cases low.”

The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Dorset now stands at 1,422.

There have been 605 confirmed cases of infection in the Dorset Council area and 817 in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole authority. The real figure is likely to be much higher.

So far, 156 people have died across Dorset’s hospitals after testing positive for the virus.

At Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester, 24 patients have died, while Poole Hospital has recorded 48 deaths since the outbreak began.

Sixteen people have died under the care of Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has recorded 68 deaths since the outbreak began.

In his announcement, the Prime Minister also said he will broadly lift the work-from-home guidance and set out major relaxations of the lockdown to pave the way for theatres and sports stadiums to reopen.

It will be up to employers to discuss with workers whether it is safe to return from August 1.

From that date, he said, most remaining leisure centres will reopen and indoor performances with live audiences can resume, with trials beginning for sports stadiums ‘with a view to a wider reopening in the autumn.’ Mr Johnson also immediately scrapped the advice to avoid public transport in England and detailed plans to extinguish local outbreaks of coronavirus to avoid another national shutdown.

“It is my strong and sincere hope that we will be able to review the outstanding restrictions and allow a more significant return to normality from November, at the earliest, possibly in time for Christmas,” he added.