The UK's top medic says life may not return to normal until a cure for Covid-19 is found.
NHS England medical director Stephen Powis was asked if some restrictions might still be needed 18 months from now.
He told The Sunday People : “This was never going to be a sprint of a few weeks. It is going to be a marathon.
“The job of scientists and doctors is to provide the Government with the best possible strategies to manage this virus over the months to come, and probably over longer than months.”
A vaccine is between a year to 18 months away – and there are as yet no successful drugs to combat it.
Prof Powis stressed in a No10 news conference that we are still only in “round one” of the battle.
Sources say advice to work from home and stay in for seven days with symptoms are still likely to be in place next year.
But schools and shops may reopen within weeks with social distancing measures in place.
People largely resisted the temptation to go outside this Easter weekend, despite temperatures of up to 25C.
Many respected the lockdown measures as Britain’s coronavirus death toll soars.
But Martin Hewitt, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said 1,084 on-the-spot fines had been issued for lockdown violations to date.
He also told how there has been a 21 per cent fall in overall crime.
In Scotland, major routes remained eerily quiet on what would normally be some of the busiest days of the year.
Things were equally quiet in St Ives, Cornwall.
There was not a single tourist in sight yesterday as police kept a watchful eye on the sands.
And walkers enjoying their daily exercise allowance on the prom in Blackpool, Lancs, had some mounted police officers for company.
In East London’s Victoria Park, vigilant youngsters were spotted wearing face masks as they maintained the recommended two-metre distancing measures.
Recorded messages, mounted police and volunteer wardens using megaphones were out in force at the park – which was forced to close last month after people flouted Government guidelines.
