The June 21 lifting of lockdown may only be a partial lifting of restrictions with a 'mix and match' approach considered, reports suggest.
The final stage of the lockdown 'roadmap' has been touted to come into force in less than two weeks time.
But amid a surge in Covid cases and fears over new variants of the disease, Boris Johnson has said it was 'still too early' to say if England's lockdown could end on June 21.
The Prime Minister has warned that the vaccine roll-out may not be enough to go ahead with the final unlocking, with cases of Covid rising by 74 percent week-on-week.
This includes 7,540 infections on Wednesday (June 9), the highest daily jump since the end of February when 8,523 cases were recorded on February 26.
And the Mirror reports that a 'senior government official' now claims that fears over the new variant means that a 'mix and match approach' to June 21 is 'probably on the cards'.
It comes as a Cabinet minister reportedly told The Financial Times that officials are 'trying to find a solution that pleases the MP's instincts' to ease restrictions and reopen England.
They said it would be 'easy' to allow large numbers for weddings with modified regulations, but that nightclubs are unlikely to reopen for a while.
Another senior government source was reported to have said that a hybrid approach was under consideration but would be complicated to implement.
They said: "What would you choose? Deciding the public health benefits would be difficult."
And The Times reports that the Prime Minister will lift the current limit of 30 people on weddings even if further unlocking doesn't go ahead on June 21.
The publication reports that the Prime Minister, who married Carrie Symonds last month, is 'understood to be determined to relax curbs on weddings and receptions this month'.
Guests would not be required to sit at socially distanced tables, but would still be advised to be “cautious” about contact with other households, the paper writes.
The Prime Minister is expected to announce on Monday (June 14) if England's Step 4 of the easing of restrictions can go ahead or not.
