The UK government is considering telling obese people to stay home if the country is hit by a second wave of COVID-19.
The proposal is part of a "more sophisticated" model for potential future lockdowns, reports the Independent.
Part of the plan is to pinpoint people who are more vulnerable to the virus and instruct them to stay home, rather than keeping the entire country home.
One cabinet minister told The Sunday Telegraph it was a "stiletto, not a sledgehammer" approach.
The paper reports officials are analysing NHS data on vulnerable groups of people, such as obese people and those above 50, to prepare for a possible second wave.
Around 63 percent of adults in England are overweight or obese, and one in three children are overweight by the time they leave primary school. A health survey in 2018 indicated 31 percent of UK adults were clinically obese.
The potential strategy follows the government's latest push to urge British citizens to lose weight to protect themselves against COVID-19.
Championed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Better Health campaign will ban advertising of food high in salt, sugar or fat on television and online before 9pm.
Further legislation will restrict the promotion of unhealthy foods like 'buy one, get one free' offers.
Johnson, who is overweight and became seriously ill with COVID-19 in April, led the charge of the campaign saying if English people all "do our bit" to get healthy, they can alleviate the pressure on the NHS.
