Deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries has said it could be six months or longer before the country gets back to normal after the coronavirus pandemic.
Ms Harries was speaking at the daily Downing Street briefing and was discussing the lockdown measures implemented by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the battle to fight Covid-19.
The virus has suspended the football season with all professional and National League fixtures postponed until April 30 at least.
That has seen the Nottingham Forest's promotion-charge put on a temporary hiatus, with the club's only 2019-20 scheduled fixture left the May 2 clash with Stoke City at the City Ground.
Sabri Lamouchi's side have been battling for promotion all season and in recent weeks slipped to fifth place, but they are still well set to secure a play-off place.
There has been talk of the season being declared null and void but the EFL want to complete the campaign with summer football on the agenda.
However, there's absolutely no prospect of football anytime soon with the country on lockdown for at least the next three weeks.
And Ms Harries has said it could take up to six months - and possibly more - until the country returns to its normal state once the virus is contained.
"We actually anticipate our numbers will get worse over the next week, possibly two, and then we are looking to see whether we have managed to push that curve down and we start to see a decline," she said.
She added: "This is not to say we would be in complete lockdown for six months, but as a nation we have to be really, really responsible and keep doing what we're all doing until we're sure we can gradually start lifting various interventions which are likely to be spaced - based on the science and our data - until we gradually come back to a normal way of living."
There will be three-week review on the measures implemented.
"The issue of the three weeks is for us to review where we are and see if we've had an impact jointly on the slope of that curve," Ms Harries continued.
"But I think to make it clear to the public if we are successful we will have squashed the top of that curve, which is brilliant, but we must not then suddenly revert to our normal way of living - that would be quite dangerous.
"If we stop then all of our efforts will be wasted and we could potentially see a second peak.
"So over time, probably over the next six months, we will have a three-week review."
