In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has already confirmed she “would consider” closing pubs if coronavirus gets out of control again.

At her briefing on Monday, Ms Sturgeon explained: “I don’t want to have to impose any further restrictions on how people live their lives.

“But equally, I won’t hesitate because we have seen over the past four months the damage this illness does to people and we can’t allow that to happen.”

Aberdeen has been put into lockdown following a rise in cases in recent days.

The UK Government’s chief medical adviser, Prof Chris Whitty, has said “we are near the limit” of what we can do without causing a resurgence.